


show me the promisedland

by SpiralSpectre



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad looks at Ranboo and says 'is anyone gonna adopt this sad teenager', Demon Darryl Noveschosch, Dreams and Nightmares, Egg Arc, Enderman Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Enderwalk, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Parent Darryl Noveschosch, Parent Zak Ahmed, Post L'Manburg Exploding, Protective BadBoyHalo, Ranboo's Arc, Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Some Spoilers, The Badlands accidentally adopt Ranboo, Villain Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), and doesn't wait for an answer, just in case
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:01:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 35,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28852467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiralSpectre/pseuds/SpiralSpectre
Summary: “Ranboo?”Ranboo freezes but slowly turns around again. He meets the gaze of the demon, the leader of the so called Badlands, the armored being in front of him who could kill him without breaking a sweat, and he holds out a hand for Ranboo to take.“It’s going to rain soon.” BadBoyHalo tells him, voice light. There is no malice in his eyes, only curiosity and concern. “And I’ve heard you don’t like rain. You wanna come inside?”Ranboo’s head tells him it's a trap but his gut looks Bad in the eyes and knows he’s being genuine. There’s no catch to the offer, it’s simply given to him out of… Pity? The goodness of Bad’s heart? Whatever it is, it makes Ranboo want to collapse on the spot.When did he get so tired?(Ranboo feels like he has nowhere to go. The Badlands beg to differ.)
Relationships: Antfrost & Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Darryl Noveschosch & Ranboo, Grayson | Purpled & Luke | Punz, No Romantic Relationship(s), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Ranboo & Sam | Awesamdude, Ranboo & The Badlands, Zak Ahmed & Antfrost & Darryl Noveschosch & Sam | Awesamdude, Zak Ahmed & Darryl Noveschosch, Zak Ahmed & Ranboo
Comments: 425
Kudos: 1667





	1. The Calm Before

**Author's Note:**

> What do you get when you combine a love for the Badlands and Ranboo? This fic. Enjoy!
> 
> Takes place after L'Manburg is destroyed but diverges from canon afterwards as Phil never got in contact with Ranboo and thus, he ended up with the Badlands instead.
> 
> Title is based of the song 'Promiseland' By Mika, which kinda reminds me of Ranboo

His life is falling apart before his eyes and the only coherent thought Ranboo can have is, _oh no, it’s going to rain soon._

It all feels so surreal that Ranboo is still trying to process that it happened. That it wasn’t just some sort of figment of his imagination but _reality_ punching him in the gut and leaving him gasping for air.

(Ranboo is only 90% sure this is real. The other 10% doesn’t trust himself anymore. Not when he can’t remember if he helped blow up the community house or not.)

Everything has been changing so quickly that Ranboo doesn’t know how to deal with it. Not only was L’Manburg destroyed in a pitiful fight to save it, but there’s a number of people who turned their backs on it, setting its fate in stone. His only home, turned to a smoking crater before his very eyes and taking most of his stuff with it. Ranboo and several others are left with nothing but the clothes off their backs and whatever they managed to salvage ahead of time.

L’Manburg is gone and likely never to be rebuilt again.

Tubbo won’t look him in the eye, he doesn’t know how to feel about Nikki, and Ranboo isn’t even sure where he stands with Tommy.

And Ranboo can only worry about how it’s going to rain soon. 

(He hates the rain- _so so much.)_

He should’ve stayed in his panic room. It was small and crowded with his pets staying there but he was safer. Safe from the rain, safe from judging eyes, safe from having to worry where he was and where he was going. _Why did he leave his panic room?_

A bit of fresh air was supposed to help his head but Ranboo still feels like he’s spinning- maybe worse than before. At least within his panic room, Ranboo only had to worry about what was in his head, now he looks up at the sky and feels a growing panic.

Ranboo didn’t think to bring an umbrella or his armor, both stored away with what little he has left in the panic room. He lost track of which way he went- _where even is he?_

It’s the worst time to be lost but Ranboo is well aware that his luck ran dry a few days ago when he was outed as a traitor.

Taking deep breaths to try and level himself, Ranboo managed to spot a building in the distance and headed straight for it. 

_You can take shelter from the rain there. Wait it out while we figure out what to do next._

_**Is there a ‘Next’?** _

_There’s always a next. We have to keep going. Get out of the rain first and go from there._

Ranboo swallows and pushes his way from out the forest and out onto more open and flattened land. He stumbles, trying not to weep with joy at the idea of getting to sit down and rest soon but he can’t help it. He rushes for cover until he stops in his tracks halfway there. Until he recognizes where he is at last, and a wave of dread washes over him.

There are two large buildings in front of him. One is a mansion made primarily out of quartz- the building he had been headed to- while the other is far bigger and made of black stone.

Looking at it makes his heart drop. He’s heard about this- he knows what it is and every bone in his body tells him to _run far, far away from this place-_

The prison looms over him. Ranboo steps back, terrified but unable to look away. He doesn’t know much about the prison- Sam was rather secretive about it- but he knows enough that he wants to _get away from it._

An all too familiar sound of a blade being drawn makes his breath hitch. Ranboo’s body finally breaks out of the haze he’s in and he spins around, only to see a sword pointed directly at him with a pair of glowing, white eyes narrowed on him.

Said eyes widen once they recognize him. Ranboo recognizes him too but can’t find it in him to be relieved. Not when he has no guarantee that he’ll be as friendly with him as he seems to be with everyone else.

BadBoyHalo, leader of the Badlands, stands before him, cautious but not as hostile as he seemed to be before. Ranboo finds he can only breathe when the demon lowers his sword, inspecting him curiously.

“Ranboo?” Bad tilts his head slightly. “What are you doing here?”

“I, uh…” Ranboo swallows thickly. A part of him wants to run so badly but his legs are glued to the ground now. The prison at his back, Bad in front of him, and the rain threatening to fall from the sky. 

Not to mention, even if he runs, where is he supposed to go? He doesn’t have a home anymore.

“I don’t know.” Ranboo answers honestly, his voice cracking more than he would like. “I don’t know and I’m sorry- I’m trespassing on your land, aren’t I? I- I wasn’t thinking, I didn’t know where I was going and it was going to rain and I ended up here.”

Bad nods slowly, eyes softening. Even as he sheathes his sword, Ranboo can’t find it in him to relax. Bad has no allegiance to him- none of the Badlands do. Ranboo has at least some connection with most other nations but not them. They owe him nothing and that terrifies him.

Ranboo doesn’t trust people to be kind, not anymore. Not after watching his home get blown to smithereens and his friends get torn apart, fighting against each other and leaving him to rot.

Bad owes him nothing. There’s nothing compelling him to be kind.

“Oh, well, it’s getting dark, you might want to head home soon.” Bad tells him. “There’s a storm coming soon, I can feel it. I think it’s going to be a rough one.”

Ranboo tries not to flinch at the idea of being caught in the storm. He’s fairly certain he fails because Bad frowns at him, almost seemingly concerned.

_But why would he be concerned? He doesn’t know us, it doesn’t benefit him if we’re okay or not._

_**Maybe he’s being kind?** _

_Nobody in this SMP is kind without reason._

“Ranboo?” Bad pulls him out of his thoughts. Reality feels a lot more unsteady than it was before.

“I- I don’t have a home anymore.” Ranboo blurts out. He doesn’t know why he says it but he just wants to talk to someone who isn’t him. Out loud and not in his head- _it’s been so loud in his head recently._

Silence swallows the pair of them for one moment, then five before Ranboo quickly fills it. “I’m sorry, I- I’ll be on my way, have a nice night.”

Ranboo turns and hurries as he makes his way back to the treeline he came from. Bad speaks again before he can slip away.

“Ranboo?”

Ranboo freezes but slowly turns around again. He meets the gaze of the demon, the leader of the so called Badlands, the armored being in front of him who could kill him without breaking a sweat, and he holds out a hand for Ranboo to take.

“It’s going to rain soon.” BadBoyHalo tells him, voice light. There is no malice in his eyes, only curiosity and concern. “And I’ve heard you don’t like rain. You wanna come inside?”

Ranboo’s head tells him it's a trap but his gut looks Bad in the eyes and knows he’s being genuine. There’s no catch to the offer, it’s simply given to him out of… Pity? The goodness of Bad’s heart? Whatever it is, it makes Ranboo want to collapse on the spot.

When did he get so tired?

“Okay.” Ranboo says at last, hesitantly reaching out and taking it. “If- if you’re sure.”

Bad smiles at him softly. “I’m sure. Skeppy and I have extra bedrooms that go unused anyways, it’ll be no trouble at all!” 

He leads Ranboo up the ramp that leads to their front lawn, keeping a steady and grounded hand on him as they walk. Ranboo wonders if Bad knows what he’s doing for him- if he’s intentionally helping him stay tethered to reality- or if he’s just physically affectionate. “Have you eaten yet? I have some potatoes cooking in the furnace if you’re hungry.”

Ranboo wants to decline but his stomach grumbles and reminds him it’s been far too long since he’s eaten. Even if he doesn’t want to, he needs to eat, so Ranboo accepts the offer graciously. Bad nods again, quickly taking them to the front door and pushing inside.

The inside of Bad- and Skeppy’s- mansion is spacious but isn’t decorated much. There’s a few basic decorations like a mat to wipe his shoes on, a vase with a few yellow flowers placed inside, and a couple paintings hung on the walls, but that seems about it. Not that Ranboo is judging- _nothing wrong with that!_

Bad offers to take his jacket as he slides off his own and puts it on the coat rack. Ranboo shivers and Bad instantly takes it as a ‘No’ instead flipping the question and asking if he wants a blanket instead.

Ranboo politely declines, though more out of fear that he’s asking too much than anything. However, when he shivers again, Bad’s eyes narrow slightly and he retrieves a blanket for Ranboo anyways, draping it around his shoulders.

Ranboo makes a silent note that lying to be polite won’t work on him.

_“Baaaaaaaaad.”_ A drawled out voice calls from a room on the far end of the house. Bad perks up at the sound of it, then signals Ranboo to follow.

“Yes, Skeppy?” Bad calls back as they round into the kitchen. Ranboo lingers near the entrance, rubbing the back of his neck tentatively as he glanced over the co-owner of the mansion.

Ranboo personally never met Skeppy before but he’s heard about him. Truthfully, most of those stories made him seem a lot more devilish and cunning- a living trickster- but the first time Ranboo lays eyes on him, he’s faced down on the dining table and whining for his roommate.

“We’re out of bacon bits.” Skeppy says, a clear pout in his voice.

“I’ll get some tomorrow.”

“But I want them _nowww.”_

Bad rolls his eyes playfully. “You couldn’t pay me to go out in a storm just for some bacon bits, Skeppy. You’ll just have to deal without them.”

“Baked potatoes aren’t as _good_ without them.”

“Yeah, well, tough muffins. We got a guest tonight anyways.”

As quickly as flipping a switch, Skeppy’s mood changed, head popping up and his voice leveled out like he hadn’t just been purposefully whining in a high pitched voice five seconds ago. “We do?”

He answered his own question when his eyes locked onto Ranboo’s as Bad was checking on the baked potatoes in the furnace. Ranboo shifted in place, waving slightly. Skeppy nodded in return, pausing before asking, “It’s Ranboo, right?”

“That’s me.” Ranboo said weakly. “Nice to meet you… Your uh- your Bad invited me, I hope that’s okay.”

Skeppy shrugged, unbothered. He seemed nonchalant but his eyes examined Ranboo carefully, like he was deciding what to make of him. “I made too many rooms anyways, you’re doing me a favor by using one of them. There’s one or two that are properly furnished, take one of those.”

“There’d be more _options_ if someone remembered they were the one who was supposed to furnish the rooms.” Bad said in a teasing tone. Skeppy groaned in response.

“I’ve been busy!”

_“You’re_ the one who called dibs on decorating.”

“I’ll get around to it! _...Eventually.”_

Bad stifled a laugh and decided not to press. Ranboo silently wondered if it was because he was there, still lingering awkwardly like some sort of old, timey vampire who could only be let in if given explicit permission.

Bad opened the furnace again, then must’ve been satisfied enough by how they looked because he reached in and started to pull them out, one by one. Ranboo near jumped out of his skin when he saw Bad was doing it by _hand_ without a glove of some sort before he remembered that Bad was a demon. He seemed to barely notice the heat, humming as he worked.

“You don’t have to just stand there, y’know.” Skeppy called out to Ranboo. He tried not to let his face flush when he realized Skeppy noticed his hesitance. He didn’t make any direct comment about it, thankfully, instead gesturing to one of the seats at the dining table. “You can sit down.”

Ranboo hesitated for a beat before taking the offer. He took a seat across from Skeppy, feeling like it might’ve been rude to do otherwise and silently hoped he wasn’t stealing Bad’s spot. If he did, neither made a comment about it and Bad placed down a plate with a baked potato for each of them. He took a seat next to Skeppy and neither hesitated to dig in.

Dinner wasn’t as awkward as Ranboo thought it would be, which was a relief on its own. He did feel a bit like a third wheel but he didn’t mind it. For one, Ranboo never minded being a third wheel in the first place- as long as he was welcome, that was enough for him. For another, Ranboo hadn’t really been around Bad or Skeppy very often, much less together, but from what he had heard, that’s usually how it ended up with them.

They were best friends and it showed, seemingly on the exact same wavelength when they spoke and going on long tangents about nothing and everything. Truthfully, it had been nice to hear and even when he noticed the rain starting to pour outside, Bad and Skeppy talked over it and soothed his nerves.

Ranboo was safe, warm, and had somewhere to sleep for the night. Significantly better than earlier.

_**What happens tomorrow?** _

_I don’t know. We’ll figure it out when we get there. Focus on now, don’t let go of the present._

(It could be so easy to let go of the present these days.)

After dinner, Skeppy took everyone’s plates as it was apparently his turn to take care of the dishes and Bad showed him to one of the rooms. Truthfully, Ranboo didn’t care what it looked like but he did have to give credit where credit was due: It _did_ look pretty nice. The carpet was soft beneath his feet and the bed looked particularly inviting, especially so considering Ranboo wanted to collapse on the spot as it was.

Ranboo excused himself to bed and Bad waved him goodnight. As soon as his body hit the mattress, he felt himself melt into it, wrapping himself up in the blanket and breathing slowly. He shut his eyes, willing himself not to think about everything he had been avoiding and tried to relax.

Thunder boomed outside, far too close for comfort. A strangled yelp followed by an enderman noise escaped him. Ranboo was left gasping on the bed and within seconds, Bad knocked on the door and asked if he was okay. Ranboo lied and said he was, that he had just gotten surprised.

Bad didn’t sound so convinced but said ‘Okay’ anyways and told him to holler if he needed anything. Ranboo softly exhaled and thanked him, listening to his footsteps retreat before curling up again. All he wanted now was to sleep but his deep seeded fear from the storm outside didn’t let him, acting up every time thunder shook the sky.

Half an hour passed and Ranboo groaned, aching for sleep but everything being far too _loud._ His head, the sky, his fears- it kept him up and he buried his face into the pillow in frustration.

He was so tired, why couldn’t he just _sleep?_

The door opened. Ranboo shot up in alarm, only to lay eyes on Skeppy’s head poking out from behind it.

“Hey.” Skeppy greeted, though seemed a little awkward and hesitant. “I got some headphones if you want to listen to music and block out the storm?”

Ranboo blinked at the offer but nodded. Skeppy tossed them over and thankfully, Ranboo caught it easily, untangling it from his hands before glancing back. “Uh, thanks!”

Skeppy shrugged it off but seemed relieved. “Bad just seemed worried that the storm was keeping you up and when he can’t sleep, I can’t sleep. Just give ‘em back later.” Skeppy told him before ducking out, closing the door behind him.

Ranboo swallowed the lump in his throat. _This is fine, this is cool._

Hooking up the headphones to his communicator and turning the volume up, the sound muffled the storm outside until Ranboo barely noticed it. He relaxed, lying on his side and closing his eyes. A sudden wave of exhaustion hit him like a truck and within minutes, he slipping away into a dreamless sleep.

The storm raged outside but it fell of deaf ears. There were uncertainties to deal with tomorrow but Ranboo needed to sleep now, so he did.


	2. To Linger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo wakes up and deals with the anxiety that comes with 'Tomorrow.'
> 
> Skeppy eats cereal.

Ranboo is warm when he wakes up.

He’s gotten tangled in the soft sheets of the bed but makes no move to escape from it. They’re wrapped around him, safely and securely like a hug he doesn’t want to end. Skeppy’s headphones have long since fallen out of his ears and now lay in front of his face, still blasting music that Ranboo can faintly hear now.

Slowly, Ranboo reaches out and grabs the headphones, tugging at them until he finds the communicator they’re attached to, and finally turns it off. 

The silence that swallows him is comfortable at first. There is no rain or thunder from what he can hear and the anxiety in his chest hasn’t caught up with him. He doesn’t want to get up or rub the sleep out of his eyes, only wanting to either fall back asleep or just lie there, the outside world out of reach and unable to come for him.

Here, there are no sides pitting former friends against each other, no wars tearing the ground beneath their feet apart and ruining the land they all live in, no pressure to be loyal to everyone at once and fear that he’s going to lose everyone and everything he has because he’s making the wrong choices.

Here, there are only soft sheets, warm blankets, and a blissful silence that lets Ranboo relax and let his mind go blank.

It lasts for a while. Ranboo wanted it to last for longer but he’ll take what he can get because anything is better than nothing. It would be too idealistic to wish for it to go on forever but a small part of Ranboo still wishes it would.

But the peace is broken when Ranboo starts to think a little bit too much about his situation. How little time he has left to figure out what comes next. Dread fills him, he slowly curls in on himself, trying to keep a level head but his lungs feel far too small for comfort.

Because yesterday, Ranboo didn’t need to worry about tomorrow. It wasn’t here yet- he didn’t need to stress out any more than he already had. He had a temporary place to stay for the night and a meal to keep him going- that’s all he needed to concern himself with, nothing more.

But now he couldn’t put it off. Because Ranboo was awake again and his temporary place for the night was rescinded and he would have to leave soon. Leave and figure out where to go or what to do next, both of which, he had little idea of what the answer would be.

Ranboo gripped the sheets of the bed, grasping for the sense of comfort it gave before but now found that it tasted far more bitter than sweet now.

The idea that this would be the last time he got to sleep in a warm and comfortable bed for a while was more frightening than it should’ve been. It wasn’t like Ranboo had never gone a day without luxury because he had _plenty_ of those days, but this wasn’t like those times.

Ranboo has no plans, very few valuables to his name, no home, and no reliable allies. Not having a good place to sleep isn’t the sole reason for him spiraling but it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back because Ranboo _has it_ right now and knows he has to give it up.

The second Ranboo walks out that door, he has to give it all up.

And Ranboo really doesn’t want to leave, much less stand. He doesn’t trust himself to stand anyways.

_We have to leave sometime._

_**I don’t want to… I really don’t want to.** _

_I know. I don’t either, but it’s childish to think that we can just not move and all our problems will go away. We have to move on. It would be rude to overstay our welcome. We owe Bad and Skeppy for their kindness, but we can’t push it._

Ranboo sighs, letting out a shudder before he wills himself to stand. Getting up is a slow process that he takes his time with, stretching and taking deep breaths before he does. He takes the headphones and communicator into his hands, disconnecting them from each other, and slips the latter into his pocket while wrapping the former around into a neat coil. 

Ranboo hesitates when he gets to the door, hand wrapping around the knob for a minute too long before he twists and opens it at last, finally ready to face the music.

There’s nothing on the other side of the door, of course. Ranboo wasn’t sure why he expected there to be. He breathes a little easier and quietly makes his way down the stairs, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

The house is fairly quiet other than the faint humming coming from the kitchen- one of the few rooms Ranboo knows. The front door is tempting for a moment- along with how easy it would be to just leave without a word- but Ranboo stops himself. He doesn’t want to be rude- Bad gave him a place to stay for the night so he needs to express his gratitude first. Just a quick ‘Thank you’ and a promise to pay him back before ducking out. 

Quick, simple, easy. Ranboo can do that.

Even so, anxiety crawls in Ranboo’s chest as he approaches the kitchen. He prepares a pre-planned speech in his head and walks in fully ready to recite it outloud-

Only to find that Ranboo miscalculated one part. He made the whole speech for Bad but completely spaced on the fact that Bad is not the only one who lives in the mansion. His brain completely shuts down when he sees Skeppy sitting at the table and humming as he eats cereal.

_Not Bad._

_I didn’t plan for Skeppy, oh god-_

“Oh hey,” Skeppy greets with a nod and a smirk. “Never met someone who slept in later than me. Other than George but that guy’s sleep schedule is fucked.”

“Uh,” _what do I say?_ “Sorry. Didn’t want to get up.”

Ranboo mentally curses himself at the glance Skeppy gives him but he doesn’t comment like Ranboo expects him to. Instead, Skeppy huffs a laugh. “Been there. There’s cereal in the second cabinet on the right, by the way. Unless you want leftover potatoes.”

_Breakfast._ Ranboo didn’t plan on breakfast either. “I-... I don’t want to overstay my welcome.” He says quickly.

“Wouldn’t be offering if you were. Eat, it’s free food.”

Ranboo considers his options. A meal before he hits the road ends up winning and he pours himself a bowl of cereal before sitting in the exact same spot as before. He hesitates before taking the headphones and placing them next to Skeppy's arm, murmuring a quiet thanks for letting him use them. Skeppy glances up at him- expression unreadable- before resuming eating as if nothing had happened.

_Did nothing happen? Am I just overthinking this?_ There was a good chance Ranboo was just reading into something that meant nothing. He really couldn’t tell, he didn’t know Skeppy at all, much less enough to know how he thinks.

Ranboo tried to eat slowly but found it hard when he was famished. He gulped down half of it in five minutes, relishing in the sugary flakes and sweet milk. He only slowed down when Skeppy glanced up at him again, so quickly that Ranboo almost thought he imagined it.

“So.” Skeppy said, seemingly conversationally. “What’s your plan or whatever? What are you going to do?”

_My best._ Ranboo bit back the reply, worried it would be a bit _too_ honest. “Still figuring that bit out.” Ranboo admitted instead. He shifted in his seat, glancing around. “Where’s Bad? I, uh, wanted to thank him for letting me stay.” Ranboo said, then a beat later, quickly added, “You too! Thank you- it means a lot and I’ll find a way to repay you, I swear.”

Skeppy frowned slightly. Ranboo's heart froze for a second when he saw it. “Yeah, it was no big deal, honestly.”

“It was to me.” Ranboo told him earnestly, though maybe just a tad intensely from the flash of _something_ in Skeppy’s eyes.

“Mmm.” Skeppy hummed. “Oh and Bad’s out getting groceries and stuff. He’ll probably be another half hour minimum.”

“Half hour minimum?” Ranboo echoed. His hands twitched so he quickly laced them together so it was less obvious that he was on edge. Despite his best efforts, Skeppy noticed and he could tell. He gulped silently. “I- I really shouldn’t overstay my welcome. Could you pass my thanks onto him?”

Skeppy didn’t answer his question, instead squinting and asking his own. “Why are you so worried about ‘Overstaying your welcome’?”

“Because-...” Ranboo struggled before quietly answered with, “I- don’t know? I don’t want to stick around if I’m not welcome.”

“Did we say you’re not welcome?” Skeppy countered suddenly and Ranboo genuinely didn’t have an answer for that. Skeppy was confusing him- he didn't understand him in the slightest. Skeppy continued. “Bad and I talked about it last night. If you need a place to stay for a while and you _want_ to stay, you’re fine staying here.”

Skeppy said it so casually but the offer spun Ranboo’s head and left him dizzy. “I- what?”

“I said that me and Bad agreed it would be fine if you stayed for a while.”

Ranboo blinked and carefully met Skeppy’s gaze. He had heard the guy was fond of making jokes before but either he was a _very_ good liar or he was being genuine. The latter seemed more likely- Ranboo was good at sniffing out lies- but the thought caught him so off guard that he doubted himself. “For- for how long?”

Skeppy just shrugged. “I dunno. Week, month, half a year- what do you need?”

_“Half a-”_ Ranboo choked. _“That-_ that’s a _long_ time, Skeppy. I- I don’t think you realize how long that is.”

“No, I know.” Skeppy said without hesitance. There was another unreadable look on his face before it was gone in a blink of an eye. “But judging by the past- what, half a day?- I think I have a good idea of what kind of roommate you are. Half a year is nothing.”

“I… I don’t understand.”

“Understand what?” Skeppy raised an eyebrow. He was fiddling with a spoon in his hand, his bowl now only filled with milk.

“I don’t…” Ranboo hesitated but pushed the words out. “I don’t understand why you’re offering. Why you’re being so… So _kind._ You have no reason to be. Unless you want something..?"

“Don't want anything. I have my reasons."

“Like what?”

Skeppy paused. “Do you want the sugarcoated answer or the blunt one?”

“...Is both an option?” Ranboo asked weakly. Skeppy huffed a laugh.

“Sure, whatever. The sugarcoated answer is that you accidentally tugged on Bad’s heart strings yesterday so now he wants to give you the help you need, plus you’re a nice kid who doesn’t intentionally swear to piss him off so he appreciates that. And if Bad gets attached, I gotta make sure he doesn’t get hurt.”

Ranboo took a moment to take that in. “And the blunt answer?”

Skeppy didn’t immediately speak up, giving Ranboo a once over before looking him dead in the eyes. “I’ve known you for less than twenty hours and you are the _jumpiest_ person I’ve ever met. And you’re also like, what? Sixteen?”

“Seventeen.” Ranboo corrected softly.

“Not much better.” Skeppy told him. His arms crossed and a huff escaped him. “You make _me_ anxious sometimes just by standing around, acting like you’ve got someone breathing down your neck all the time.”

“Sorry.”

“No- why would you _apologize?_ You can’t control that, I-” Skeppy pinched the bridge of his nose. Ranboo was at a loss for what to say and stayed silent. “What I’m trying to say is that you’re a kid walking around like someone is holding you at gunpoint at all times. You looked like a tall, kicked puppy- it’s _sad.”_

Skeppy stopped himself, grimacing at his own words once he heard them. “That… Was not the best phrasing of words but- do you get what I’m trying to say?”

“I think so.” Ranboo said slowly, uncertain. “You pity me?”

Skeppy opened his mouth to protest but then stopped, thinking about it for a moment. “Maybe a little.” Skeppy admitted, then shook his head. “But the point was if giving you one of our spare rooms- which we have a surplus of- is going to help you out, then why not? You need it, so just stick around until you can get back on your feet. Don’t be stupid and run off into the woods alone. It sucks living out on your own in the middle of nowhere, believe me."

Ranboo swallowed dryly but nodded slowly. “Okay… Okay. If- if you’re _sure-_ then- then maybe I’ll stick around. Just until I’ve got my own place and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

Skeppy nodded back, accepting his answer and stood up. “Alright, glad we had this little talk then. If you need any help moving in… Whatever things you have left, just get me or Bad. Welcome to the mansion.”

“R- right.” _His stuff._ Ranboo had nearly forgotten about that. 

Skeppy took his bowl, slurping up the last of the milk before putting it in the sink. “I’m gonna go shower, do whatever you want but just don’t go into the basement and don’t break anything.”

Simple rules, Ranboo could follow that. “Got it. Uh- thank you. Really, it- it means a _lot_ to me.”

The look was back again. Ranboo still didn’t know what that look meant. “Don’t worry about it.” Skeppy told him. “Just help with chores and we’ll call it even. No need to make it a big deal.”

Skeppy ducked out, headed to where Ranboo assumed was the bathroom and shutting it tightly. The sound of water was drowned out by music that Skeppy blasted and Ranboo found himself settling, staring at the bowl of cereal in front of him.

It was getting soggy now but Ranboo was finding it hard to care. Because now, according to Skeppy, he now had a temporary place to live. One of the many problems checked off the metaphorical list and took some of the weight off of his shoulders with it.

Even so, Ranboo still felt like he was spinning. None of it felt _real_ and all he wanted to do was melt into the floorboards so he didn’t have to think about the future or how nice Bad and Skeppy were being to him and what that meant.

_Was he overthinking this?_ The answer was most likely ‘Yes’ but Ranboo really didn’t want to be wrong about something and miss something. He couldn’t afford to screw this up- not when this is the only place he has at the moment.

Ranboo finishes his cereal and lingers in the kitchen before making his way up to the room he was staying in before. _His room?_ God, he isn’t sure.

Ranboo doesn’t know if he wants to sleep or think when he lays down but regardless, he lays there staring at the ceiling and trying to imagine all of the ways this could go until he exhausts himself. Ranboo puts his face in his hands and breathes deeply.

It all feels so complicated. Ranboo needs to figure this out but doesn’t know enough to piece it together.

Right now, all he can do is hope that Bad and Skeppy won’t regret their choice.

—

Struggling to balance two bags with one arm, Bad manages to push the front door open and quickly shifts the weight evenly so the groceries won’t fall. He’s immediately greeted with the sight of Skeppy, waiting by the front door and meets his gaze steadily.

While surprised, Bad is all too used to Skeppy greeting him at the front door and knows exactly what he wants as soon as they lock eyes. They don’t need to say a word, Bad just holds out one of the bags for Skeppy to take, shuts the door behind him, and they retreat to the kitchen to unpack.

As soon as Bad puts down his bag on the counter, with Skeppy mirroring him, he glances at him and raises an eyebrow, “What’s up?”

Skeppy doesn’t answer right away, telling Bad it’s a more serious topic than usual. He had a feeling it was with the look in his eyes he had but it doesn’t hurt to confirm his suspicions. Skeppy starts putting away some of the refrigerated groceries before he finds the words to speak up. “Remember what we were talking about last night?”

_Last night._ It had been a long one and ended with Bad passing out in Skeppy’s room with him. They talked about a lot of things- including but not limited to: L’Manburg’s destruction, creating a beach house, Dream, duck politics, and whether or not honey could be used against explosives. Though if Skeppy was being serious, Bad could eliminate half of those topics right off the bat.

What ultimately tipped Bad in the right direction however, was a familiar look in Skeppy’s eyes. 

“About Ranboo?” Bad guessed. Skeppy’s nod was a victory, though Bad suppressed his grin. They were having a serious talk, he needed to keep it that way or they would get distracted and put it off for later.

“I, uh.” Skeppy hesitated. “I told him he could stay until he got back on his feet.”

_That_ sparked Bad’s interests. “Really?” Skeppy nodded again, not quite looking him in the eye but firm about his decision. “You were so hesitant about it yesterday, what changed?”

Skeppy puffed what almost seemed like a laugh- an ironic one by the sounds of it. “My argument yesterday was that Ranboo could be a potential threat and I didn’t want to put you in danger.” Skeppy said, then met his gaze again. “But this morning, he kept apologizing for just like, existing. I kinda doubt he’s any sort of criminal mastermind.”

Bad hummed as he sorted through the cabinets, a content feeling bubble to the surface and settling. “So we’re in agreement then! That’s good. I thought I might have to convince you for a moment there.”

“He’s a teenager with nowhere to go and he’s not gonna fuck shit up like Tommy or Tubbo-”

“Language.”

“-I’d feel like a dick for throwing him out.” Skeppy finished, earning a _‘Hey!’_ from Bad at his choice of words. “But yeah, it’s fine with me. Splitting chores three ways means the less I have to do so.” Skeppy left it at that.

“Mmm.” Bad didn’t take his eyes off Skeppy for a minute. Silently, he wondered something until he had the guts to voice it. “Are those the only reasons then? Nothing else?”

“Like what?”

“Like he reminds you of someone.”

It took Skeppy a minute to realize what he was saying. He deadpanned when he did. “You’re the worst.”

“I’m just _saying-”_

“Oh I _know_ what you’re saying, and you’re the worst because of it.” 

Bad broke into a fit of giggles. Skeppy stuck his tongue out at him and that was that.

They didn't need to argue further. Deep down, they both knew Bad was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending might be a little confusing now but it'll make sense later, don't worry.
> 
> Some more set up and a little bonding, this is gonna be a fun fic for me to write, I can tell already. If you liked, consider leaving a comment! Thank you so much for the support in the last chapter, I didn't expect it and it was very motivating! I hope you enjoyed!


	3. The Dynamic Duo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo adjusts to living with Bad and Skeppy and witnesses first hand one of their scuffles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its important to me that you know that the alt chapter summary I wrote down for this was 'Ranboo witnesses his first Bad and Skeppy fight as they get divorced for the 107th time'

It occurs to Ranboo- suddenly and urgently- that he really knows nothing about Bad and Skeppy other than what he’s seen so far, which isn’t much.

But he at least knows that Bad and Skeppy are a lot more observant than they appear to be, though take very different approaches to it. Bad takes the hands on and emotional route while Skeppy is harder to decipher and indirect. The mixture of the two throws Ranboo off. He isn’t sure what to think.

But he keeps it in mind anyways. A mental note until he can get his memory book back, or the replacement one anyways. He never got back his real one from Dream so now he has to start fresh.

Bad offers to help Ranboo bring back his things from his panic room, which he’s thankful for in more ways than one. He half expects to hear him again- the voice that sounded like Dream- but when Ranboo squeezes into the obsidian box, it’s quiet. It doesn’t come.

Instead, the box is just a box. Ranboo’s stuff is in a pile on one side of the box and on the other, three cats are curled up, sleeping soundly. His heart melts just looking at them- _he missed them a lot._

“You didn’t tell me you had pets!” Ranboo tenses before he sees the delighted look in Bad’s eyes as he peers over at the felines. One of them- Enderpearl- opens her eyes and peers up at Bad curiously. She blinks slowly, Bad mirrors her, and both seem to be content with that.

“If it’s too much to have them around, I can ask someone to take care of them.” Ranboo tells him quickly. He might not be on the best of terms with Nikki or Fundy but he could probably trust them with his cats at the very least. To his relief, Bad shakes his head, smiling.

“It’s been a while since Skeppy and I had pets around and we have plenty of room anyways. This’ll be good!”

Ranboo gives a small smile back before gathering his stuff. Most of it is thankfully in bags so it isn’t hard to organize, handing a bag off to Bad before taking one himself. By the time he’s ready to leave, all of his cats are up and ready to follow him, with Enderchest jumping up on his shoulders, purring loudly in his ear. The sound is rhythmic and soothing. Ranboo reaches up and gives her a scratch behind the ears, which only makes her purr louder.

Enderpearl, who has now taken a liking to Bad after he started petting her lovingly, settles into the demon’s arms while the last cat, Jjeffery, tucks himself into Bad’s hood and settles there.

On the trip back, Ranboo slows as they pass by L’Manburg. A soft sigh escapes him as he gazes at the crater before turning away. Bad glances over it but focuses more on Ranboo than on the former country.

“I’m sorry about your home.” Bad tells him. Ranboo shakes his head, absentmindedly reaching up to pet Enderchest again, who resumes purring in his ear. 

“I thought you didn’t like L’Manburg?” Ranboo says once he has the courage. The last thing he wants is to get into a fight with someone who’s giving him a home but he is curious. 

“I don’t.” Bad confirms, nodding slowly. “I never did. Honestly, I never understood the song very much because it- it called it this ‘Special place’ where freedom was meant to reign but… It never was that for me. Or Skeppy, or Ant, or Sam. That’s why we made the Badlands in the first place! To get away from it!”

“What didn’t you like about it?” 

“A lot of things. Mostly the attitude though.” Bad hummed. “L’Manburg always felt so… I don’t mean to be rude but kinda self entitled. Like a kid at a birthday party. Not to mention, they _kidnapped_ Ant once to mine cobblestone. I still haven’t forgiven them for that.”

Ranboo couldn’t really argue with that. He loved L’Manburg for being the first place to give him a home but there were parts he didn’t like. The way Quackity looked when he spoke of power, the ruthlessness that was the Butcher Army, how they tried to execute Technoblade without trial- Ranboo couldn’t turn a blind eye to them, no matter how much he wanted to.

“I don’t mean to be rude when I say this,” Ranboo said carefully and Bad looked at him thoughtfully, “But are you sure that creating another-… Another faction was the way to go? Aren’t you afraid of ending up like L’Manburg too?”

“To be honest, no, not at all.” Bad told him. “The Badlands _is_ another faction- I know you’re not fond of those, I heard your speech- but truthfully, our main goals boil down to the fact that we’re trying to protect each other. When we created it, there was Manburg and Pogtopia and neither were particularly caring about the people within it. It was all a power struggle for a piece of land- to regain control of a hierarchy that they created in the first place- as long as they got back their ‘L’Manburg,’ they didn’t care about the sacrifices they made along the way. The end result was the only thing that mattered.”

“And I didn’t trust it. I didn’t trust them to protect me and I certainly didn’t trust them to protect Skeppy, and I knew he felt the same, but we didn’t know what to do. There was nowhere else to go. Until one day, Ant and I were talking to Technoblade and he said some interesting things. After that, we spoke to Awesamdude and Skeppy and- boom, the Badlands were formed!”

“Huh.” Ranboo said. Bad laughed at that.

“Sorry to dump our history on you but I figured it would help if you saw it from my point of view. You don’t have to agree with me by any means but you gotta understand, I have people I needed to look after! Me and Skeppy- we gotta protect each other. That’s what this is all about! If one of us gets in trouble, we protect each other. The wars of other factions or countries don’t matter- in fact, historically we’ve prospered when other countries are at war because they _leave us alone!”_

Ranboo must’ve looked taken aback because Bad quickly added, “I’m not saying all the loss is _wonderful_ or anything but… They’ve never cared about us, why would we care about them tearing each other to pieces?”

“The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel it’s warmth…” Ranboo murmured. Bad perked slightly in recognition.

“Exactly. In a perfect world, there wouldn’t have to be any sort of factions because there wouldn’t need to be! We would all just live in peace and if someone needed help resolving a conflict, we could just work it out. But,” Bad said in a softer tone and for the first time, Ranboo noticed just how tired his eyes looked, “Things on this SMP never change for the better, we just do what we can to survive.”

“But- it doesn’t have to be this way!” Ranboo blurted out. Bad tilted his head in his direction and Ranboo continued. “You’re talking about it like you’ve already given up the idea of peace but it’s not out of reach. Things can still _change."_

Bad hummed again, lower and considering. “Maybe.” He said at last, tail flicking. “Maybe you could change things. I guess we’ll see.”

He didn’t sound totally convinced but it was one of the closest things Ranboo got so he took it. A weight off his shoulders was lifted and he set his sights for the mansion he hadn’t quite been ready to call home yet.

When they got back, Skeppy was waiting for them, complaining to Bad that they took so long but his eyes instantly lit up at the sight of the cats. He started to pet the one in Bad’s hood, not quite cooing over him but in awe all the same.

Ranboo fell asleep that night with three cats curled up with him on his bed and his stress melted away.

—

Ranboo didn’t need a window to know it was early in the morning when he woke up again. He could tell, blinking awake and wanting to sleep but his mind urged him to get up and search through his bags. He did so soundlessly, the cats on his bed didn’t even stir as he shifted off the mattress and started to dig.

Ranboo had unpacked a few things but despite having plenty of time the previous day, avoided getting fully unpacked. It might’ve been irrational but Ranboo wasn’t _entirely_ certain about how permanent his place of residence was. Skeppy and Bad both insisted they had no interest in kicking him out but Ranboo still had a seed of doubt that clung to him. A seed of doubt that told him it would be easier if he were prepared for when it happened, not if.

Ranboo squinted to see in the dark but as soon as his hands grazed leather, he knew he found it. Ranboo pulled out the book from his bag with care, fishing for a pen before returning to the bed and taking a seat.

Lighting the lantern on the nightstand next to his bed, Ranboo opened up the book and tried not to look at the smiley face written on the first page. He flipped to the next, pausing to himself before writing ‘Friends’ at the top and underlined it.

Then Ranboo had to think about the one thing he really didn’t want to think about: Whether or not if all his previous friends and allies now hated him.

Tubbo and Tommy were both a ‘Most likely’ which hurt to think about. Ranboo had betrayed Tubbo- he was honestly shocked he didn’t get _executed_ right then and there after it was revealed. As for Tommy, Ranboo had done little to help stop the destruction of L’Manburg, only able to attempt to shoot at the wither and watch from the sidelines as TNT rained from the sky. He doubted he was in good standing with him either.

Quackity had given him a dirty look after learning he was a traitor that Ranboo shuddered thinking about. And he called both Fundy and Nikki a coward so both of them were out of the question as well.

Phil and Techno… Ranboo wasn’t sure where he stood with them. Neutral seemed to be the safest option, though that meant Ranboo couldn’t exactly rely on them either.

(For one split moment, Ranboo wondered about Dream before shaking the thought out of his head. He had a few weird… Nightmares about him, but that was it. No matter what the voice seemed to be implying, Ranboo was not helping Dream in any way.)

By the end of it, Ranboo was left with Bad and Skeppy. He was hesitant to write them in at all but only conceded given how sad the page looked empty and felt a little better by putting a question mark at the end of both their names. He could erase either their names or the question marks later once he knew where he stood with them for sure. For now, it would have to work.

Resigning that that would be the best he would get out of that page at that moment, Ranboo turned it and started a new one. At the top, he wrote ‘Things to remember’ to give himself a start, then stared blankly at the page.

What did he need to keep track of?

Ranboo wrote down the first things that came to mind and blinked at what he decided to jot down.

-Lying to be polite won’t work on Bad.  
-If Bad is upset, Skeppy is upset and vise versa.

Notes. On his new roommates.

It wasn’t a terrible idea. Ranboo did need to know exactly what he was getting into after all, jotting down notes and little things that would help him remain in good standing with his roommates would certainly help ease his anxiety.

So, Ranboo went with it. And if Bad or Skeppy noticed he was carrying around his book like a security blanket that morning, they didn’t mention it.

—

His cats settle into the new environment, doing so quicker than Ranboo himself but he’s not surprised. His cats have always been calming. They’re not trained to be therapy animals but Ranboo finds they help nonetheless, always sleeping on Ranboo’s chest when he’s upset and purring loudly until he could get his thoughts in order.

So when Ranboo finds two of the three outside of his room and lounging in the sun peacefully, he isn’t too surprised. What does surprise him is the fact that Bad doing the exact same thing, though rather laying on the floor, is in an armchair. He’s almost limp, head tilted back and taken in the heat. 

It’s the most relaxed Ranboo has ever seen him, drinking in the sunlight without a care in the world. He decides not to question or bother him, tiptoeing past him and the cats and pretends like he never saw it.

It’s not the only time he does it either, and once Ranboo notices it, he can’t unsee it. Bad instinctively chooses places where he’s in direct sunlight to stay in- drawn towards heat.

Ranboo writes down a small note in his book.

-Bad likes heat. (Possibly due to demonic heritage?)

—

Most people when describing Bad and Skeppy seem to use the phrase ‘Scarily in sync’, which Ranboo doesn’t quite get until he sees it for himself.

Skeppy left to go mining for more iron at least ten minutes ago. Ranboo finds himself sticking around the kitchen, one of the few rooms he’s acquainted with, watching as Bad makes the pair a cup of hot cocoa and listening to the story he tells. Ranboo nods and makes little comments and ‘Uhuh’s to keep him going and it must be working because Bad seems to be getting more enthusiastic as he goes on.

Then, suddenly and abruptly, Bad pauses. Ranboo takes it to mean he’s trying to remember what came next or is suddenly realizing he needs to do something- something Ranboo knows well with his memory issues- but that doesn’t feel like the case. Because Bad makes a beeline for the fridge, cracks it open and pulls out a bunch of raw steak. 

Ranboo blinks as he puts it in the furnace carefully and resumes again, not acknowledging his sudden change. He lets it go, not quite sure what to make of it and figuring it’s not important, and goes back to listening to Bad’s story.

Around ten minutes later, the kitchen smells of chocolate and cooked meat- which Ranboo doesn’t know what to make of. The front door opens and Skeppy sprints into the kitchen, immediately looking to Bad who’s taking a long sip of cocoa.

“Hey Bad-”

“Just cooked some, check the furnace.” Bad answers before he can finish. He doesn’t even have to look up.

Skeppy grins and takes the meat from the furnace, biting into it. “Thanks, you’re the best.” He says with a full mouth, to which Bad just hums and waves him off again once he’s off again.

Ranboo stares, switching from Bad, to where Skeppy was, and back.

‘Scarily in sync’ makes a lot more sense now.

—

Ranboo had heard a decent amount of things about Skeppy and Bad and living with them confirms some and denies others.

For one, Ranboo thought Skeppy would be a lot more energetic. He still is a good chunk of the time- as at one point, Skeppy starts wildly cursing at a skeleton trying to shoot him from inside their pool early in the morning while Bad censors him- but it’s not as much as he expected.

Either Skeppy is just a lot more mellowed out when at home or he’s calming down for Ranboo’s sake. Both are possible- Ranboo feels like Skeppy is cautious around him but not enough for Ranboo to say anything about it. He does appreciate the effort to make him comfortable, assuming that’s what it is.

Bad however, is almost exactly like he was told. He’s obvious at times but has a good heart and makes an effort to offer a hand to Ranboo when he needs it. Although initially intimidating from the title, along with being a full on demon which Ranboo has never seen before, he’s relatively harmless.

Then comes the matter of something he’s heard before. That Bad and Skeppy act like an old married couple.

Something that Ranboo hadn’t witnessed until now.

Ranboo had just finished feeding his cats their breakfast when he hears angry stomps descending down the stairs. His heart stuttered when he realized they were coming towards him and he quickly ran a mental list to see if he had broken any rules or done anything wrong. He came up blank but Ranboo didn’t trust his memory enough to feel certain he was in the clear when Skeppy’s irritated eyes met his, arms crossing.

Ranboo mentally prepared himself to be yelled at if it came to that.

“Ranboo, do I look like a sidekick to you?” Skeppy asked him sharply. 

Ranboo wasn’t sure what he expected but it hadn’t been that. “Uh.”

“Oh my goodness, leave Ranboo out of this!” Bad marched up to him, exasperated but clearly trying to reason with him. “That wasn’t even what I said- you’re overreacting!”

“I am _not!”_ Thankfully, Skeppy focused his attention on Bad, glaring at him. Ranboo nearly sagged with relief but glanced between the pair, trying to figure out what was going on. “You said you were the leader and that I would be _shit_ if I tried.”

_“Language-_ Skeppy!” Bad groaned. “I did _not_ say it like that, knock it off.”

“That’s basically what you said!”

“I said that not everyone was born to lead-”

_“That’s the same thing as calling me shit!_ Why can’t I be the leader?”

“Because- because it’s called the _Badlands-_ of course I’m in charge! It was my idea!” Bad threw his arms in the air, his pointed tail angrily lashing from side to side. “You agreed to this when we first formed it! Everyone agreed to this!”

“Yeah, well, maybe I’m done with the Badlands.”

_“Skeppy!”_

Skeppy didn’t answer, staking off. Bad followed after him at first but a few minutes later, returned to the kitchen and took a seat at the table. He huffed, sinking into his chair and sulking.

Ranboo weighed his options before clearing his throat. “You uh… You good?”

“Yeah.” Bad said, though his voice was clearly bitter. “Skeppy just needs to cool off.”

Ranboo answered with an awkward ‘Mmm…’ as he had little idea of how else to respond. Bad seemed to take it and resumed glaring at the floor.

Having no other reason to stay there, Ranboo shuffled off with a wave, returning to his room. He figured things would sort themselves out and instead, started reading in his room in the quiet.

An hour and a half later, Ranboo left his room to refill his bottle. He immediately wished he stayed inside as the second he stepped out, he noticed the shockingly big, man-made wall that split the house in half. 

Even though it extended downstairs, Ranboo was hoping he could squeeze past the drama but instead found he couldn’t get to the kitchen with the wall in his way. Not to mention, Skeppy was at the border, clearly shouting at Bad on the other side.

“You don’t have permission to enter the Skeplands, Bad, I don’t know what to tell you.”

“You little- my _room_ is in the Skeplands!”

“Sucks to suck, it’s property of the Skeplands now. There’s plenty of other rooms in the Badlands, choose one of those.”

“My _stuff_ is in my room!” 

“My stuff now.”

_“Skeppy!”_

“That’s just the way things are, Bad.” Skeppy said, trying to sound apathetic. “The Skeplands rein supreme.”

“You have _one member_ on your side!” Bad argued.

“If Ant or Sam were here, they’d join my side.”

“No they wouldn’t! _Argh-_ just take down this stupid wall already, Skeppy!”

“Can’t do that. It’s to protect the Skeplands from people like you, looking to destroy it.”

Bad groaned loudly from the other end, banging on the wall but getting nowhere. Skeppy finally took notice of Ranboo at the bottom of the stairs and grinned. “Ranboo! Want to join the Skeplands?”

“Uh.” Ranboo paused glancing at his cup and back again before he cut his losses. “I’ve gotta go.” He said quickly and sprinted back up the stairs. 

Skeppy and Bad’s argument resumed once he was gone and Ranboo huffed. He didn’t know what was going on but his best solution was to leave it alone and hope that it would sort itself out. If Bad and Skeppy really did fight like an old married couple, they could probably solve their issues on their own too.

Worst come to worst, Ranboo would just have to get used to a wall in the house, which was certainly better than not having a place to stay. He could find a way to live around that, it wouldn’t be that hard.

The next few hours went as follows: More loud and nonsense arguing that Ranboo only vaguely understood, apparently Bad was going to build a wall around Skeppy’s wall, then someone was chasing someone around the house which eventually ended with a loud crashing as they seemed to tumble to the stairs.

Ranboo left his room for that part, peering down the stairs to see Bad and Skeppy at the bottom, groaning. Bad’s jacket was gone and Skeppy was wearing it instead, which clued Ranboo in on what the chase might’ve been about. He asked if they were okay, got two thumbs up and nodded before retreating back into his room.

It was pretty quiet after that. Almost unsettlingly quiet but when Ranboo left again to refill his drink, the walls were gone and Bad and Skeppy were in the living room, passed out on top of each other, content.

Ranboo let out a sigh of relief before tiptoeing away.

—

On the morning of his fifth day at the mansion, Ranboo wakes up before the sun rises and can’t fall back asleep. He doesn’t understand his dream but a mixture of a music disc playing in the distance, TNT, and Dream murmuring words he can’t quite hear leaves him unsettled.

He doesn’t want to return to that dream so he keeps himself busy with other tasks. He feeds the cats, prepares more of his watery milk- as he can’t drink straight water without it burning- and does all of the laundry, including Bad and Skeppy's.

By the time he’s done, it’s barely noon and Ranboo is dead on his feet, clutching his book to his chest and trying not to think about the smile on the first page of his book.

He has to reason with himself, settling down on the couch but immediately misjudged just how tired he was when he sat down as suddenly, his legs turned to jello and he doesn’t want to stand up again. Ranboo sinks into the cushions, eyes fluttering and once he lays down- _just for a second,_ he tells himself even though every part of him knows he’s lying- he’s gone before he can think about it.

He doesn’t dream again thankfully but Ranboo still jolts up in realization that he passed out once he’s awake. It takes him a minute to process what happened and he huffs to himself once he does, not surprised. However, the one thing that confuses him the most is the blanket laid over him that definitely wasn’t there before.

Upon asking Bad and Skeppy, both deny putting it there but Bad is smirking into his cocoa when he takes a long sip and Skeppy answers a bit too quickly and seems a bit too defensive for Ranboo to believe him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Ranboo deserves being able to refrain from choosing sides and it working out in the end anyways. I think he also deserves some stress relief and cats, so that's what he gets.
> 
> A little more set up mixed in with shenanigans and fluff because this is gonna be a bit of a slow burn baby, enjoy the ride! Also don't worry, Antfrost is gonna appear next chapter and Sam won't be far behind! I would never leave them out of a Badlands Fic, that would just be cruel and unusual punishment.
> 
> Also Demons are just large, magical cats and I cannot be told otherwise.
> 
> Will there be some Ranboo Lore mixed into the plot? Perhaps. _Perhaps..._
> 
> ANYWAYS, thank you all for reading this far! The support I've gotten has been amazing and it's been really motivating, I'm not sure I've ever updated a story as fast as I have with this one so thank you! If you liked this chapter and/or the general story so far, consider leaving a comment!


	4. Behind Closed Doors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo gets new information and doesn't know what to do with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ant Time :)

Ranboo doesn’t meet any other member of the Badlands until he’s roughly a week into living with Bad and Skeppy.

Apparently he would’ve met them sooner but both have been busy. Sam’s been throwing himself into his latest project and staying up long nights, only napping when he starts screwing up redstone mechanics that would normally be a piece of cake and Antfrost hasn’t even been in the SMP, traveling further out to meet up with someone.

But on day seven, Bad tells Ranboo that Antfrost is coming over to meet up with him. He assures Ranboo he doesn’t have to come say hi if he doesn’t want to but Ranboo knows he needs to make a good first impression. Ant is close with Skeppy and Bad after all, there’s a bit of pressure on making sure he’s well liked. A thought that if Ant doesn’t like him, then Ranboo’s screwed and Bad and Skeppy will rethink their arrangement with him.

It’s an irrational thought but compared to some of his other irrational thoughts- _Dream, the community house, a tune he hears in the back of his head but can’t quite remember without his head hurting_ \- it’s nothing he can’t handle. Even so, when he hears someone enter the house and an unfamiliar voice announces their arrival, his heart stutters for a second.

Deep inside, he can feel an instinct to _run_ from a situation he’s unsure of but he wills himself to stand his ground. He approaches the newcomer after taking a deep breath and a pair of bright blue eyes greet him.

“Oh, hello!” Antfrost greets him with a small but genuine smile. “Good to see you, Ranboo! Been awhile since I last saw you.”

Ranboo halts in his tracks, gears turning in his head. He jolts in realization once it hits him. “Oh- _oh,_ we’ve met before.”

“We have, yeah.” Ant confirms with a nod. “It wasn’t for very long, I don’t blame you if you forgot. I think you still have my trident..?”

Ranboo thanks whatever deity is out there silently that he remembers where the trident is at least. It’s been propped up in the corner of his room for quite some time, Ranboo nearly forgot where he got it. He excuses himself, racing up to his room to grab it. Ant inspects it upon receiving it back, paw grazing over the engraved words ‘The Claw’ edged into the side before smiling at Ranboo again.

“Thanks, I’ve missed it a lot. Travel is a lot slower without a riptide trident.”

“It _was_ pretty convenient to have, I’m gonna miss it. I’ll have to go hunting for my own.”

“You could probably ask Bad for help getting one, he’s already trying to get one for Skeppy, I bet he won’t mind looking for an extra.”

Ranboo nods but with how hard tridents are to come by, he silently doubts he can just ask for one _and_ get one. Nonetheless, Ant is polite and Ranboo appreciates that at least.

Ant breaks away first, eyes darting to the stairs and back. “Bad’s expecting me so I’m gonna head up there but good to see you again!”

“Likewise!” Ranboo matches his enthusiasm with a hesitant smile. Ant nods a goodbye and heads up to the second floor soundlessly. Ranboo grabs a snack first but intends on retreating back to his room like he usually does. He should probably organize his stuff anyways.

With a bowl full of pretzels in hand, Ranboo closes in on his room but a blue figure catches his eye. Down the hall and lurking by Bad’s bedroom door, Skeppy locks eyes with Ranboo. He brings a finger up to his mouth silently, glancing at the door and back. 

It isn’t difficult to figure out what he’s trying to say. Even so, Ranboo reluctantly nods back. Eavesdropping seems… Strange to Ranboo but he’s not in any place to judge. Heaven knows how many conversations he’s listened in on, fading into the background as if he was never there in the first place.

Skeppy seems content with his answer but pauses. His head jerks the opposite direction, which takes Ranboo a minute to realize what he’s asking. _‘Wanna listen in too?’_

To which, Ranboo hesitates. He must’ve taken too long in deciding because Skeppy rolls his eyes and beckons over with his hand. It’s firm enough for Ranboo to fold like wet paper and silently joins his side. Ant and Bad’s voices are faint at first but get clearer once he’s close enough, though still spoken in half hushed tones. Skeppy’s face doesn’t betray any emotion other than a clear focus to listen in on what they’re saying.

_Why isn’t he in there with them?_ Ranboo frowns to himself but doesn’t voice the question. It takes him a minute to tune in.

“-nd it turned to crying obsidian?” It’s easy to distinguish their voices and so Ranboo can tell the first is Antfrost without a problem. 

“Yeah! It’s kinda freaking me out, I don’t feel all that safe investigating it alone anymore.” Bad is the second, voice raising slightly as he speaks in mild distress. “I’m planning on putting a second layer but I’ll need your help gathering more obsidian. We can’t afford a breach. Not after Skeppy-...”

Bad’s cuts himself off and he doesn’t make an effort to finish his sentence. At the mention of Skeppy, Ranboo spares a glance at the man in question but can’t get a good read on him. The only thing Ranboo can tell is that Skeppy seemed to have stiffened at the mention of his name.

Ranboo has no doubt in his mind that Skeppy understands everything they’re talking about. Ranboo can’t say the same for himself. He’s left in the dark, trying to figure out what’s going on but unable to ask.

The silence is deafening. Ranboo almost thinks the conversation has ended until Ant softly asks, “How’s his recovery going?” 

If Ranboo’s reading him right, he’s talking about it like it’s a touchy subject. It almost feels like a confirmation from how long it takes Bad to respond.

“It’s going as well as I can realistically hope.” Bad answers with a slight, tired huff. “Ideally it would take no time at all but… There’s still scars on his back that look worse some days and better others but they don’t glow anymore so I think we’re in the clear.”

_Glow?_

Ant doesn’t seem to blink twice at this information, moving on. “No more pain then? Headaches? No more… _Desires-_ or- or lack of?”

“He’s relapsed a few times- he keeps trying to hide it from me but… That’s kinda hard to do given our situation. But his personality hasn’t switched back at all, _thank goodness._ I don’t know what I would-”

Bad stops suddenly and abruptly. Skeppy curses under his breath like he’s gotten caught with his hand in a cookie jar and seconds after the fact, Bad calls out, “Skeppy, are you eavesdropping?”

Skeppy bites his lip. “...No.”

A groan comes from the other side of the door. “Skeppy, I told you I wanted a little privacy when I spoke to Ant!”

“I knew you were going to be talking about me- I wanted to know what your honest opinion was!” Skeppy protests.

“You can just _ask!”_ Bad says, groaning again. “But now that you clearly got what you came for, can you give us some privacy now? I promise I’ll talk to you later, I just… I just need to talk to Ant. _Privately.”_

Skeppy doesn’t budge, eyes narrowing like he’s having a silent argument with someone he can’t see. He must’ve because Skeppy breaks first, giving in and leaving loudly and motioning for Ranboo to follow. Bad yells a ‘Thank you’ as he does, and Skeppy yells back a louder ‘You’re _welcome’_ in response.

Ranboo retreats to his room, closing the door behind him. He nearly jumps when he realizes Skeppy followed him in, and only remembers he’s still carrying his bowl of pretzels when Skeppy reaches over, takes one, and bites into it harshly.

Ranboo shifts in place. Enderchest walks up and starts rubbing herself against Ranboo’s leg and earns a few pets in response.

“You… Wanna sit down?” He offers, gesturing weakly towards his bed. Skeppy bobs his head and flops on the bed with a huff. Ranboo sits down next to him, sneaking glances. “So… What was that about?”

“Bad’s scared to talk about me when I’m in the room and it’s stupid.” Skeppy huffs. “I’m not a fuckin’ _child,_ I don’t want to be treated like one.”

“Okay.” Ranboo chews on the inside of his cheek. “And why… Why was I there?”

Skeppy pauses, looking at him with the same look he’s seen before. He still hasn’t figured out what it means. “Because if you’re going to be living with us, you deserve the truth, no bullshit. I don’t want to _lie_ to you- Bad and I got a lot of shit going on and obviously we’re not gonna drag you into it or let you get hurt by it but you deserve to know what you’re getting into.”

It’s an answer that Ranboo wasn’t expecting. He stops for a full minute to process it. 

It sounds far too much like his own thoughts. The lingering _‘What if I really am helping Dream in some way?’_ and how he could be putting Bad or Skeppy in danger. The bile in his throat created both by the thought of telling them _and_ not telling them- a paradox he doesn’t feel good about. 

“That’s… Shockingly really honest.” Ranboo says at last. Skeppy just huffs a laugh, blowing his hair out of his face. 

“One of us had to be and Bad doesn’t like hard conversations.” Skeppy tells him. “I’ll be honest though, I’m not… I don’t like to talk about it and neither does Bad. It wasn’t particularly pleasant for me- I don’t like to _think_ about it. But if you want the truth, track down Ant sometime and… And ask him about _The Egg,_ alright?”

There’s a weight to the words ‘The Egg’ that Ranboo doesn’t understand but what he does understand is the way that Skeppy no longer looks at him, gaze distant before he shakes it off. Ranboo nods in response.

Skeppy looks like he’s about to get up and escape so he doesn’t have to talk about it anymore but one of the cats, Jjeffery, jumps on his chest and settles down there, purring loudly. Skeppy puffs, staring down the cat but getting no response before giving him scrubs behind the ears.

“I was gonna go to my room but I think I’m legally stuck.” Skeppy laughs, earning a chuckle out of Ranboo.

“It’s fine. You can stick around if you want.” Ranboo tells him and gets another nod.

“Mmm. Sorry if me and Bad are a lot to deal with.” Skeppy murmurs.

A laugh escapes him. “You’re fine, really. I appreciate how nice you guys have been. You didn’t have to let me stay.”

Skeppy hums, eyes on the cat on his chest as he speaks. “Yeah but… Being homeless and alone sucks- especially when you’re young. Wasn’t gonna leave some kid to fend for himself in the wilderness. I’d feel pretty fucked up if I did.”

Ranboo doesn’t have any sort of response to that so he stays quiet. He lets Skeppy ramble a bit- he and Bad seem to have that in common, probably a big reason why they’re best friends- then fifteen minutes later, Bad calls for Skeppy and he directs him to where they are.

Bad and Ant step in, both greeting Ranboo politely before Bad scolds Skeppy for eavesdropping. The conversation doesn’t get very far as all eyes are drawn to the cats, all swarming Ant and meowing insistently.

“Oh, hello.” Ant greets, then listens for a second before looking up at Ranboo. “They like you a lot, you must be a good owner.”

Ranboo frowns slightly. “Uh… I don’t mean to be weird but are pet cats weird for you?”

Ant’s tail flickers in amusement. “I appreciate the consideration but uh, not really. House cats kinda domesticated themselves. I’m different anyways- more like an awkward cousin than the cats you actually know. I can actually eat chocolate if I want.”

Ranboo’s eyes widened slightly. “Really?”

“Mmhmm. I won’t get sick, it just tastes bad for me. Not a fan.”

“What kinda flavors do you like then?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Ranboo watched Skeppy sit up with a devilish grin on his face. “Red velvet.”

Ant choked almost immediately, earning a high pitched laugh from Skeppy. Bad blinked before he gasped loudly and yelled ‘NO!’ at Skeppy, who only wheezed for laughter.

Ranboo was definitely missing something, though he had no idea what, nor if he wanted to know at all from the way Bad was shouting language.

“That’s my cue to leave.” Ant said at last, waving goodbye to Bad and Skeppy before turning to Ranboo. “It was nice to see you again, I’ll see you around?”

Rambo murmured the same sentiment and Ant left. Bad and Skeppy didn’t stick around for much longer either, splitting off either to talk privately or argue privately, possibly both considering their relationship. 

Ranboo eyed his book for a minute before shaking himself.

—

There’s something comforting about the night sky.

Ranboo doesn’t often spend much time outside when it’s dark due to the sheer amount of mobs that come out, but the mansion’s lawn is well lit and fenced off. Ranboo feels safe enough within it that he doesn’t even put on armor when he goes out, bringing nothing but his book and a grass block.

Holding a grass block in his hands feels natural, numbing in a pleasing way that mutes his anxieties. Staring up at the sky only strengthens that feeling and Ranboo’s shoulders relax. 

Something about a dark sky is familiar, though Ranboo can’t quite put his finger on it. Though if he concentrates hard enough, sometimes he remembers obsidian towers and cream-yellow stone beneath his feet.

A memory that both is and isn’t his. In his situation, it’s hard to tell and anytime he gets close to the truth, it slips away from him again. Sand slipping through his fingers until it’s gone, unless he remembers to write it down.

Book in hand, Ranboo flips to a new page and hovers a pen over the paper. Thinking about the obsidian towers alone makes his head hurt but maybe that’s more of a reason why he _should_ write it down. Because remembering will eventually make it stop and Ranboo shouldn’t shy away from the truth. Then again, he’s not even sure what the memory means, much less if it’s important.

It takes him a few minutes but he writes down in the end, quickly shutting his book and wrapping his arms around the grass block again. A huff leaves him and he closes his eyes to breathe.

An uneasy feeling is what catches his attention again. The hairs on the back of his neck prickle and he has a distinct feeling that someone is staring at him. His heart starts pounding in his chest when a shadow falls over him and he whips around, startling at the dark figure.

Said figure jolts but immediately sighs in relief. Bad takes his eyes off Ranboo and scans the area around his mansion, frowning. 

“I didn’t realize it was you out here for a second. Sorry if I scared you!” Bad tells him, though doesn’t take his eyes off the horizon. Ranboo expects his nerves to settle with Bad no longer focusing on him but they don’t- not for another minute before he feels like he’s not being watched anymore.

“It’s fine.” Ranboo forces out at last. “I didn’t know you were still up.”

“I wasn’t, just got up.”

“Oh.” Ranboo wracks his brain but he’s fairly certain he couldn’t have woken him up. He hasn’t made any sort of loud noises that could’ve. “Is there a reason you got up or..?”

Bad hums, not answering right away. “I don’t know for sure but… I got a weird feeling. One I haven’t gotten in a while.” He shakes his head at last, taking a seat next to Ranboo. “Probably nothing, I’ve been wrong before.”

Bad turns to Ranboo, tilting his head. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you anyways. It’s been a week, how are you feeling? Settling in alright?”

Ranboo nods. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m doing okay.”

“Good!” Bad smiles. “Wanna make sure you're comfortable. Wouldn’t be a very good host if I wasn’t- so if you ever need anything, just holler and I’ll see what I can do.”

Ranboo hesitates and it must’ve been noticeable because Bad perks. “What? Got something in mind?”

“It’s nothing-” Ranboo tries to say but earns a look from Bad. He forces the words out before he can talk himself out of it like he usually does. “I, uh… Skeppy mentioned something weird earlier and I wanted to ask what you knew about an… Egg?”

Bad goes still. 

Ranboo quickly tries to correct himself, putting his hands up. “You don’t have to answer, I was just curious.”

“No, no- it’s okay.” Bad rubs the back of his neck and lets out a long breath. His lack of eye contact is worrying. “I knew it would come up eventually but uh… I was kinda hoping to leave you out of it. You shouldn’t have to worry about it.”

A moment passed, then three. Bad let out a breathy laugh. “Maybe- maybe you should ask Ant if you want more details. I uh- I _really_ don’t like to talk about it but I can say at the very least… Try not to go near it- especially alone. It has an… _Effect_ on people. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I mean, if you need help-”

_“No!”_ Bad says so quickly that it startles Ranboo, then winces sympathetically. “Sorry but uh, we got it under control. You’re a teenager, you shouldn’t have to worry about this! You should be focusing on being a kid while you still are one!”

He nudged Ranboo with his shoulder, earning a small smile out of him. “Okay.” He says. “But for the record, I can still help somehow if you need it. I’ve been through worse than just mining obsidian for a few hours.”

He says it half as a joke but Bad’s smile drops. “I know. I can tell.” He says softly. “You, Tommy, Tubbo- even Purpled- you’re all so _young_ and you’ve been through so much. It isn’t fair.”

“Life rarely is.” Ranboo says weakly. Bad pauses before opening up his arms.

“Do you need a hug?”

Ranboo has to think about the last time he hugged someone. When he can’t remember, it only makes him feel worse and he lets out a shaky laugh. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’d like that…”

Bad smiles again and wraps his arms around him. Ranboo’s breath hitches and he squeezes onto the demon tightly, head resting on his shoulder. Bad hums- he seems to do that quite a bit now that Ranboo thinks about it- and rubs his back soothingly.

It doesn’t last long enough and Ranboo’s heart aches when he pulls away but he does after some time. He doesn’t want to make things awkward by holding on for too long. Bad gives him another smile however and that feels good at the very least.

“It’s late,” Bad tells him, “You should be heading to bed.”

Ranboo opens his mouth to tell him he’s not all that tired but is cut off with a yawn. Bad stifles a laugh and Ranboo caves. “Yeah, I probably should sleep, huh?”

“Mmhmm. I’ll probably be up for awhile, I just need to make sure the feeling I got from earlier was just a weird feeling, nothing more. You rest up though, okay?”

Ranboo nods and wishes him goodnight, leaving the grass block on the lawn. Bad waves him off as he gets up before he begins to walk along the edges of his property. 

Ranboo doesn’t know what he’s looking for but judging from how Bad stares out into the trees beyond the fences, he doesn’t seem to find it. 

And despite not knowing why, Ranboo can’t help but feel relieved by this information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo's met 3/5 of the dads he's gonna get :) Next chapter is either gonna be a bit of a longer one or a two parter, we'll see!
> 
> The Egg Plot and Ranboo's Lore (As well as some other stuff that's been hinted at here and there) are very much going to come into play but don't worry, there's plenty of fluff and Hurt/Comfort to come! I've very excited for some of the upcoming chapters, one of them has been planned since the very very beginning of creating this so its gonna be funnnn!
> 
> (Also I swear that that one joke near the end is one of the only ones I'll make, I just couldn't resist making it-)
> 
> Thank you all so much for the support, it's been amazing! If you liked this chapter, consider leaving a comment, I love reading them!


	5. Red And Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blueprints. An Egg. A Disc.
> 
> These three things make Ranboo's day significantly harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit longer than the rest but not as long as I thought it might be but nonetheless, enjoy!

Before L’Manburg’s destruction but right around the time when Ranboo realized there was no saving it, he quickly tried to take what he could.

All of his important things and whatever had sentiment to them took top priority. His valuables like diamonds and his enchanted tools were already stored away in an enderchest which took a bit of a load off his shoulders. His essentials- namely his clothes- had come next. He only took the stuff he might need or liked before moving on, leaving the rest in their place. 

It felt like packing for a long trip- except Ranboo couldn’t come back home afterwards. A permanent vacation of sorts. He needed to pack light enough to where it wouldn’t be a huge hassle to store everything but couldn’t leave anything important behind. 

Unfortunately, much like a vacation, Ranboo couldn’t help but feel like he was leaving something important behind. Like he would need something and not have it, being struck with the frustrating realization that he had left it behind and wouldn’t be getting it back.

But Ranboo had checked over and over again and really thought he had everything he needed. It was only now- a week after L’Manburg’s destruction- that it hit him. Right when he needed it, he searched his bags thoroughly and was hit with a realization that made him sink in place.

Ranboo had brought a variety of his favorite and practical clothes with him but completely neglected to bring any of his winter coats. All of them were nothing but ash now, there would be no getting them back.

Ranboo stared at his duffle bags blankly. Slowly, he brought his hands up to his face and groaned into them. His plans for the day felt _ruined_ now. He hated snow as it was, there would be no way he’d be able to meet up with Tubbo again without a good coat. The chill affected him more than it did others with his half enderman side.

Then a thought hit him. A slightly embarrassing thought but a thought nonetheless, and might’ve just held one of the only solutions he could think of.

Ranboo willed himself to go through with it, pushing himself to his feet and leaving the comforts of his room. He found himself at Bad’s bedroom door, knocking quietly and waiting patiently for an answer.

A minute passed before Bad opened the door, blinking sleepily. Ranboo quickly had to remind himself that the sun was just coming up and maybe he should’ve waited but he had wanted to make an early trip so he could get there by the afternoon. Still, he winced as Bad rubbed the gunk out of his eyes.

“Ranboo?” Bad croaked. “Something wrong?”

“Uh- kinda. I- I need to borrow a coat? I was going to visit Tubbo but he lives out in the tundra now and all my good coats I accidentally left in my house before it got destroyed so… Yeah, they’re gone.”

Bad makes a noise of interest and nods. “Yeah, I should have some extra coats. They might not fit you as well because you’ve got a few inches on me but they’re warm!”

Ranboo lets out a laugh. “I’m used to clothes not fitting me, I’ll be fine.”

Bad holds up a finger and disappears back into his room. When he returns, he holds a puffy, black coat with a red outline and red, faux fur around the hood which he promptly hands over for Ranboo to try. He slips it on relatively easily, though as expected, the sleeves don’t quite reach his wrists. 

Ranboo was satisfied with it as it was as good as he was gonna get but Bad frowns. “Your hands are gonna get cold- you need mittens, hold on.”

Bad doesn’t wait for an answer, nor protest. He dips back into his room for a second time and returns with bright blue mittens that easily cover the rest up. Only then is he pleased, nodding with a grin.

“You should be set now. I’m gonna head back to bed but you stay safe out there, alright? Have fun with Tubbo!”

Ranboo thanks him and the door closes. The coat is snug but warm nonetheless. Ranboo exhales softly. He can work with this. He’s never owned a pair of mittens before but these feel nice. He still might experience discomfort in the snow but with what he has now, he could probably spend a few hours in it and come out fine.

Ranboo slips on a small backpack full of emergency items- he needs to be prepared if he gets lost, he doesn’t trust his sense of direction- and finally leaves the mansion. It only occurs to him once he stepped outside of the property and onto the prime path that he really hasn’t left in awhile.

Admittedly, he’s been a bit scared to. He still doesn’t entirely trust Quackity not to come after him for being a traitor and ever since a night or two ago, he’s had the distinct feeling he’s being watched at odd times when he’s fairly certain he’s alone. As much as he wants to shrug it off, half of him can’t let it go, no matter how much he tries.

The mansion has been a safe haven, the one place he can hide away in and know he’s sheltered from harm, which has been nice. Comforting even. 

Outside, Ranboo takes a steady breath and scans the scenery as he passes. Not much has changed physically but it feels different. L’Manburg is gone and disbanded and an empty space left in its place. One less side and yet, it’s destruction might’ve been more like cutting off the head of a hydra, with more sides sprouting in its place.

The whole server seems eager to tear itself apart in the name of power, and at the center of it all is the man who brings any meaning to the word. 

Dream.

_It’s always been Dream. Always in the background, behind the scenes, ensuring that this ‘game’ never stops._

_**We have to stop him- how do we stop him?** _

_We can’t. Nobody can. Not alone. Not without help._

_**Would his former friends let it happen? Would Bad help or hinder us if we wanted to stop him?** _

_I don’t know yet. We’ll see. I don’t know where he stands with him._

Ranboo shakes his head. Dream has occupied too many of his thoughts recently, today is meant to be better.

Ranboo glances down at the coordinates Tubbo gave him for a place called ‘Snowchester.’ It’s a bit of a ways away but an hour and a half of traveling isn’t the worst he’s done.

Ranboo readjusts the straps on his shoulders and heads for the coordinates.

There’s a good chance that Tubbo plans on confronting Ranboo and he has to prepare himself for that. He doesn’t know what’s to come but he doesn’t like how it looks.

—

Snowchester looks a lot better than Ranboo expected for only existing for almost a week and a half. A _lot_ better.

Log cabins with smoke steadily rising out of chimneys are set up around along with a few other small, miscellaneous buildings, including a farm. A blanket of snow covers most of it- excluding the main paths and the farm- and overall, Ranboo is honestly impressed. Tubbo really put the works into it.

Speaking of Tubbo, Ranboo spots him speaking with Jack Manifold near the farm and heads for him. Jack splits off before he can reach him and Tubbo, surprisingly, smiles at Ranboo when he sees him. A smaller smile than usual but it looks genuine enough that Ranboo doesn’t think he’s about to get jumped at least.

“Tubbo, hey.” Ranboo greets and finally stops in front of him. 

It’s only up close that he notices a few things off about him. Particularly the faint but noticeable dark circles around his eyes and the stiff way he holds himself. Tubbo was almost always so casual when Ranboo spoke to him unless it was a serious situation like in meetings. Seeing him like this now only reminds Ranboo of how he was in the meeting just before Tommy’s exile: Tense, ready, and waiting for some sort of catch to the situation.

It’s enough to put Ranboo on edge but not enough for him to confidently ask about it. Instead, he just watches as Tubbo sweeps an arm over the area and says, “Welcome to Snowchester!”

“It looks great!” Ranboo doesn’t have to lie, he genuinely thinks so. It’s even more impressive given the time he built it in.

“Thank you!” Tubbo smiles. “It took some work but it’s coming along nicely. Sorry about the travel, we’re working on a faster path in and out of here, it’s just taken some time.”

“Understandable.”

“So, you want a tour or what?”

Ranboo nods and for a while, Tubbo seems a bit more lively- a bit more _himself._ He points out the buildings and houses as he walks, including the places where they’re looking to expand. Ranboo stays as engaged as he can be, though his eyes linger on Tommy’s house when Tubbo points it out. The glass is too foggy to see inside but there are lights on so he assumes Tommy is probably in there somewhere.

“How’s Tommy doing?” Ranboo asks when Tubbo opens the tour up for questions. Noticeably, Tubbo falters, his enthusiasm flickering out like dying embers.

“Better than before.” Tubbo says. A long stretch of silence passes as Tubbo seems to contemplate on how much he wants to tell Ranboo but, much to his surprise, Tubbo does in the end. “He’s been obsessed about getting the discs back from Dream as of late. Had a few… Rough nights.”

Tubbo doesn’t elaborate more but by the way his gaze darkens, Ranboo knows what he’s silently referring to. He visited Tommy a few times in exile- he remembers the shift in his personality when Dream came around and the way he came to a full stop when Ranboo told him that nobody had gotten invitations to his beach party.

He can’t imagine that instilled fear has left him, especially now that his home is gone and he’s no longer under Technoblade’s protection.

“Right.” The silence sends waves of anxiety through his heart. He takes a breath before saying, “Tubbo, can- can we just talk about the elephant in the room already?”

Tubbo gives him a questioning look. Ranboo didn’t think he would have to explain but a lot of things about Tubbo have surprised him lately. “My… Accidental betrayal.”

“Oh.” Tubbo frowns. “Well- what needs to be said exactly?”

“I- last time I checked, your country had a… A certain way of dealing with traitors.” Ranboo had to force the rest of the words out, voice going hoarse. 

He doesn’t expect the hollow laugh that leaves Tubbo. “Oh, you mean public execution? With fireworks? In the middle of a festival you helped decorate? _That_ way of dealing with traitors?”

“...Oh.”

There are burn scars peeking out from Tubbo’s neck. He learned about their origin awhile ago, he’s not sure how he forgot it.

“Yeah.” Tubbo replies, a sharpness in his words that isn’t directed at Ranboo. “I never planned on executing you, Ranboo. Doesn’t matter now anyways, L’Manburg is gone. Where would executing you now get me? It wouldn’t make me feel _better,_ it would just make me feel like-...”

Tubbo doesn’t finish. Ranboo doesn’t pry, instead redirecting the question on his tongue. “Are you doing okay?”

“‘M fine. Just tired.” Tubbo answers, and from his voice alone, Ranboo knows he’s telling the truth.

He nods sympathetically but tilts his head. “If this isn’t some elaborate execution scheme, why _did_ you call me here?”

“I wanted to-” Tubbo stops. “Wait hold on- you thought I was calling you here to be _executed?_ Why did you even come then?”

“I- I don’t know.” Ranboo admitted. “I just figured that… Facing it would be better than being hunted for the rest of my life?”

He got a head shake in response, though Tubbo huffed a laugh. “You are a strange man, Ranboo. But no, I was going to ask you if you needed a place to retire in Snowchester.”

“Oh- really?” Ranboo searches Tubbo’s gaze but it’s genuine. “That’s very kind of you but… I’ve already got a place to stay with-”

“Bad and Skeppy?” Tubbo guessed. Ranboo laughed, taken aback.

“Yeah, how- how’d you know that? Did someone tell you?”

“No, I had no idea where you went after L’Manburg was destroyed, that’s why I was offering in the first place.” Tubbo told him, then his eyes trailed down to Ranboo’s coat. “But you’re kinda wearing their colors.”

Ranboo glances down at his clothes, then focuses on the coat and mittens.

The black coat outlined in red and bright, blue mittens.

“Huh.” Ranboo says. “I… I didn’t notice that.”

That earns an earnest laugh from Tubbo, easing whatever tension was left in the air. Ranboo waits until he’s finished before asking, “So which one is your place?”

Tubbo hurriedly leads him inside and takes pride when Ranboo compliments his decoration skills. There’s a few simple paintings on the walls- not professionally done, most likely Tommy and Tubbo’s work but they add to the atmosphere. Lanterns light up the place but the fireplace keeps it warm and chases the chill away in their bones. Ranboo’s eyes sweep over the place and follows Tubbo into the basement, where he has a few furnaces and anvils set up, along with a crafting bench and a table filled with various papers.

Tubbo starts talking about how he’s seen a few zombie villagers around and intends to try and cure them as Ranboo curiously glances over the papers scattered across the table. Most seem to be notes and ideas of what to build and where to build next in Snowchester, but his eyes catch on something unusual. Half of a drawing of something he doesn’t recognize.

Ranboo shifts the papers to get a better look at it and his stomach drops. Tubbo is no longer rambling, walking over to peek at what he’s looking at and halting in his tracks.

“...You weren’t supposed to see that, Ranboo.” Tubbo says in a low tone, not intentionally threatening but it sends a shiver down his spine nonetheless.

“Tubbo,” Ranboo says carefully, “Why do you have blueprints to build nukes?”

It’s a word that feels wrong in his mouth. Nukes were banned _globally_ after causing enough destruction that them existing in someone’s possession was considering a war crime- able to do hundreds of times more damage than TNT ever could. 

Tubbo knows this. Ranboo worked under Tubbo, he knows that he’s far smarter than he lets on- Tubbo _knows_ this and made them anyways.

Tubbo’s silence following his question is answer enough. Ranboo’s face twists into horror. _“Why?”_

“You wouldn’t understand-”

“No, you’re right, I wouldn’t, because I can’t _possibly_ understand what could justify making _nukes!”_

“I needed a way to fight Dream and this was the only thing I could think of!” Tubbo snaps back. His eyes are colder than Ranboo’s ever seen them.

“You can’t-”

“I _can_ and I _will.”_ Tubbo stops him before he can argue, pointing at him firmly. “You don’t get it, Ranboo- you don’t _get_ it! I have to defend the only thing I have left!”

“What, _Snowchester?_ Another side? Isn’t creating and defending a country exactly how L’Manburg-”

“I’m not talking about L’Manburg or Snowchester, I’m talking about _Tommy.”_

Ranboo’s breath hitches. Tubbo doesn't so much as flinch, fists clenching.

“We both know what Dream is capable of- _what he did to Tommy._ And now Tommy has his mind set on getting the discs back despite the fact that the odds are against us, and I can’t afford to have him end up in Dream’s hands again.” Tubbo waves a hand over the blueprints. “So this is my way of evening out the odds.”

“T- Tubbo,” Ranboo says carefully. “There are other _ways."_

“Really?” Tubbo raises an eyebrow skeptically. “Okay, I’ll bite. Name one.”

“If you could get everyone else’s help, you could team up against him.”

Tubbo looked like he was going to roll his eyes. “Oh- come on, Ranboo.”

“If you ask, they’ll come.”

“What- like they came for L’Manburg?” Tubbo retorts flatly. His stoney resolve crumbles when Ranboo takes a step back and a huff escapes him. “I’m not trying to be cruel, Ranboo. Just realistic. I stopped believing the best in people awhile ago, it’s just the way things are around here.”

_They don’t have to be._ Ranboo swallows the words. “Nukes still seems excessive.”

Tubbo meets his gaze head on and stares intensely. “I’d do a lot worse if I had to. Tommy is my _best friend._ I’d do anything to ensure his safety.”

“You shouldn’t resort to this.” Ranboo told him, but took another step back, unwilling to press further. Tubbo didn’t have anything to say to that, shaking his head and the pair returned to the first floor in silence.

Ranboo didn’t stick around much longer after that. He waved Tubbo off but had trouble looking him in the eye. 

He didn’t know how to stop him without getting him in some serious trouble or seriously getting on his bad side. Ranboo sighed at both options, hugging his sides as the wind was starting to pick up and spent the rest of his trip back trying to wrack his brain for answers.

He didn’t get any.

—

Spotting Antfrost just exiting the Church of Prime wasn’t what caught Ranboo’s attention but the fact that he was soaked was.

He waited until Ant had shaken himself dry before approaching, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. Ant seemed surprised by his approach but as soon as he gets a word in asking about The Egg, his demeanor changes. He stands up a little straighter, eyeing Ranboo carefully and reminding Ranboo that whatever this Egg is, it puts everyone on guard. Bad and Skeppy straight up couldn’t talk about it. As much as he wants to learn what’s going on, as well if he can do anything to help, fear claws at his heart wondering what would scare a demon so much.

Ant insists that Ranboo takes a dip in the holy water in the Church of Prime before they go any further. Ranboo does but only with his armor on, still shuddering at the idea of being underwater and only staying in as long as necessary. Ant gives him a sympathetic look as he shakes off the water droplets and assures him that he wouldn’t have made him had there been any other option. 

Once Ant is satisfied that Ranboo is clean, he leads the way. Ranboo tries not to fiddle with his backpack straps but an uneasiness passes through him as they walk. Ant glances back at him and speaks up, breaking the tension.

“It’ll take a minute to get there, you can ask questions if you want.”

“Okay uh… What exactly is The Egg? How did you guys find it?”

Ant pauses at the first question. “It looks like an egg but… We’re not sure. It’s not like any egg I’ve ever seen- doesn’t act like one either. It’s big- bigger than you- and it’s got a hard, red outer shell with these… Weird vines coming out of it. Bad’s the one who found it. We don’t know where it came from.”

“Okay and… What makes it threatening? Does it make you sick or something?” Ranboo remembers the way Ant and Bad mentioned Skeppy had to ‘Recover’ from something. Sickness was his first guess but something about the way they all acted told him it was something more.

Ant pauses for longer this time. “It’s complicated, I’m not even sure how it worked but… It has this effect on people. Changes them, makes you want to protect it, alters your state of mind- that sort of thing. Bad and I were under its influence for a while before it got to Skeppy. The only reason we’re all okay now is because we discovered that covering it in obsidian blocked its effects and we barely managed to bring Skeppy back by purifying him in the Church of Prime water for a couple days.”

_“Days?”_ Ranboo nearly choked on his words. Ant nods, face grim.

“Bad never left him for longer than a minute, not even when-...” Ant doesn’t finish, shaking his head. “It fucked them both up but I think they’re doing better. They’ve got each other so that probably helped.”

Ant stops in front of the hole leading to the spider spawner and jumps down. Ranboo follows closely behind, grimacing when they hit water but shaking it off. Ant is patient, only leading once again when he’s sure Ranboo is ready again. He leads them away from the spawner and further down until they reach a large open room.

And in the corner of it, is obsidian surrounding something vaguely egg-shaped and dying red vines.

Ant wasn’t kidding when he said it was huge. Ranboo feels his heart palpitate just looking at the sheer size of it.

“It’s a little bit smaller than it looks now- we covered it in a second layer of obsidian but this is The Egg. Or what I can show you anyways.”

“It’s… Not what I expected.” Ranboo manages to say, eyeing the red vines that are devoid of life coming from something inside the layers of obsidian. Ant nods understandingly.

“It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen.” Ant tells him. “We’re looking to destroy it but… It’s kinda hard to do that. We’re afraid the second we take down the obsidian, it’s just gonna control our heads again. Sam and Sapnap want it _gone_ \- not that the rest of us don’t but it’s not as simple as just blowing it up with TNT. We don’t even know if that’ll kill it or if it’ll just… Anger it.”

Ant’s voice is guarded in every sense of the word. Ranboo is reminded of the fact that Ant said it messed with his head too. “You’re talking about it like it’s alive.”

“It is.” Ant turns to him with an unreadable expression. “It doesn’t just make you inhale spores- it… It talks to you. Offers you things you didn’t think you wanted so much until it says them and… Your heart aches. It makes you vulnerable and then takes advantage of that. It _manipulates_ you.”

_It sounds like you’re speaking from experience._ Ranboo keeps the question on his tongue and returns his gaze to The Egg. Thinking about it makes him shiver.

“We should get out of here, it’s not a good idea to stick around for long, even with the prime water on us.” Ant gestures him too follow him out, then snorts. “Besides, I think Bad would actually kill me if I let you stay anywhere near ten minutes with The Egg.”

“Oh- no, I wouldn’t go _that_ far.” Ranboo says quickly. Ant gives him a look.

“You’re kidding, right?” Ant raises an eyebrow at him. “Bad and Skeppy are charismatic but they don’t just trust anyone. They trust _you,_ however. Both of them do. You must’ve done something to gain that trust.”

Ant keeps a steady eye on him, as if curiously looking for an answer. Ranboo has nothing to give him. “I- I really didn’t do much?”

Ant takes it as an answer and drops it. He leads them out to the surface again and glances back at Ranboo. “I need to go talk to Sam but are you good to head back to the mansion on your own?”

Ranboo nods. “Yeah, I know the way. Thanks for telling me.”

Ant waves it off before turning around. Ranboo checks his communicator one more time to make sure he knows which way to go and heads for the trees.

Walking among nature is usually regarded as calming and good for the head. Normally Ranboo would agree but the hairs on the back of his neck stick up and the forest is far too quiet. There’s no birds, no bugs, no wildlife. Nothing makes a sound.

Ranboo can hear nothing but himself breathing. Until there’s something else.

He doesn’t know why it sends a bolt of panic down his spine but it does. It sounds like a music disc playing, just in the background. A waltz, a dreadful tune, something that is _so, so familiar but he can’t place it._

As far as Ranboo can see, he’s alone, but something tells him he’s not. Something tells him he’s being _watched._

_“Ranboo?”_ A voice suddenly calls out and it feels like the lull and panic the music created is shattered.

Ranboo whips around, legs nearly giving out and responding. “Hell- _hello?”_ Ranboo’s breathing gets uneven and he fumbles for the sword strapped to his side. _“Who’s there?”_

Antfrost slips out of the trees, startling Ranboo. The humanoid cat looks more than a little relieved to see him and on high alert, on par with Ranboo’s own panic. He circles him as he looks around, then grabs his arm.

“I’m walking you the rest of the way- we gotta go.” Ant tells him in a hushed but urgent voice. His eyes keep darting around, moving from Ranboo, to their surroundings, and back again. Ranboo doesn’t miss the way he has his bow around his shoulders nor the splash potion of harming in his free hand.

Ranboo physically can’t ask questions and resigns to be pulled along like a rag doll. Ant walks as fast as he can without pushing Ranboo's limits and doesn’t say a word the whole time. Silent and unmistakably deadly.

He doesn’t stop when they reach the mansion. Skeppy’s on the lawn, fixing up the fences and greets them before he sees the look Ant gives him and the potion in hand and seems to understand. He follows them inside and gets Bad, whose face betrays the worry deep in his chest.

“Ant?” Bad asks carefully, an unspoken question in the air. Ant finally releases Ranboo and stores the potion away in his belt before stepping forward and meeting his gaze head on.

“Bad,” Ant says in a hushed tone. “There’s a chance I might be wrong but after what you mentioned a few nights ago, I don’t think I am. I got the same feeling you did. The same one’s we get during Manhunts.”

_“Manhunts?”_ Ranboo echoes with wide eyes. All eyes turn to him and he swallows the bile in his throat. “Isn’t that- that thing you do with Dream?”

He gets a nod from both Ant and Bad. “It’s a game usually but…” Bad stares at him, inscrutable. “Ranboo?”

“Y-yeah?” Ranboo croaks.

“Is there any reason why Dream might be hunting you?”

The reality gives out beneath Ranboo and his legs turn to jelly. He might’ve actually fallen but Skeppy yelps when he notices and wraps an arm around his shoulders to keep him steady.

“W- what?” Ranboo croaks out. His heart beats far too fast for comfort and his distant dreams- _memories?_ \- echo in his head. “There’s- why would- that’s not-...” He says breathily but nothing comes out.

Ant, Bad, and Skeppy all seem to have a silent conversation and leave Ranboo in the dark. It doesn’t last for long, Ant heads outside to watch the perimeter while Bad and Skeppy help him to the couch. 

“We might be wrong, it could be nothing and just be paranoia.” Bad tells him reassuringly, but he doesn’t sound like he believes his own words. “But… Hypothetically, if Dream were to take _interest_ in you, would you know why?”

_A song- a waltz, playing in the background. A voice that sounds far too much like Dream, saying that he’s helping him. The familiarity he gets when he looks at TNT. The possibility that he helped blow up the community house._

_The possibility that he’s putting Bad and Skeppy in danger by staying here._

“No.” Ranboo keeps his eyes on the floor. The lie is bitter on his tongue, it almost feels like it’s burning. “I wouldn’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The meme title for this one was: Tubbo knowingly commits war crimes and Ant hears Manhunt music in the background and panics.
> 
> Lotssss of set up here, we're just getting started y'all!
> 
> The more I write this, the more lore I fit in. I just came up with a way to tie some Karl Lore in the mix so that's a thing that will probably happen. The next few chapters might be a bit more on the intense side but there will be a break, I promise! The canon divergence grows stronger :)
> 
> Anyways, if you liked it, consider leaving a comment, they're really good to see! Thanks for reading this far!


	6. Mellohi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's difficult to sleepwalk when your roommates are on high alert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

They believe him.

The lie leaves Ranboo’s lips and all Bad does is nod understandingly before getting up to retrieve things that could help calm him down. Skeppy doesn’t leave him, starting to ramble about the first topic that came to his mind and giving Ranboo something to focus on.

Bad returns with a tray full of brownies and bickers with Skeppy when he tries to take two, smacking his hand and telling him to eat one at a time or he’ll get a stomach ache. Skeppy complains loudly, Bad doesn’t budge from his stance and eventually, Skeppy is the one to give in and eats his brownie in silence, a muffled ‘Thanks’ following.

They act natural and warm, as usual. Ant comes back, scooping up a brownie for himself and tells him that there’s nothing out there. He tells Ranboo to stay safe and heads off to meet with Awesamdude.

Skeppy wonders out loud what deep fried brownies would taste like. Bad makes a face but indulges him. They talk about that for almost twenty minutes.

And nothing changes. 

As if Ranboo didn’t just lie to their faces. As if Ranboo isn’t holding a secret that could get them both hurt when they were honest enough to tell him about The Egg despite their discomfort. As if Ranboo didn’t just _betray_ all the trust they put in him. 

_Bad and Skeppy don’t just trust anyone but they trust you._ That’s what Ant had told him. Ant trusted him with that information- _Ranboo betrayed his trust too._

His head is spinning but he focuses on the chatter in the air. It’s enough to keep him steady, but not enough to chase away the sick feeling in his stomach.

_Why did I lie? Why did we lie?_

_**I don’t know.** _

_I don’t know._

They believed him or at the very least, acted like they did and didn't pry. Ranboo doesn’t know what to do.

He doesn’t even notice Skeppy leaving until he returns with an armful of various board games and sets them on the coffee table, announcing a mandatory game night. Bad scolds him not to cheat and Skeppy insists he has _never_ cheated in his life.

And without thinking, Ranboo says, “I find that hard to believe” out loud and Bad snorts loudly. Skeppy’s laughter is more surprised and even when he tries to pout and insists that ‘Everyone in this house is against him,’ he’s smiling way too much for Ranboo to think he’s actually offended. 

They end up choosing a trivia game and Ranboo learns quickly that Bad answers all of the questions very confidently, despite the fact that his success rate is 50/50 on whether or not he’s right, and Skeppy can and will find loopholes in any game, even trivia. Any and all worry starts to slowly dissolve during the night until before he even realizes it, the game is over and it’s time for bed.

Ranboo wishes them both goodnight but doesn’t miss how Bad and Skeppy both slip into Bad’s room, most likely to talk. He does his best to ignore the lump in his throat and upon sitting on his bed, is immediately met with Enderchest snuggling up to him, meowing. He gives her a few pets before changing into pajamas and lying down.

Guilt pools in his stomach. He swallows thickly.

He doesn’t want to think about it but there’s no escaping it. Ranboo picks up his memory book and starts writing down the events of that day and by the end of it, all he feels is tired and his only thoughts are of a distant waltz.

All he wants to do is sleep.

So he does.

—

_They’re standing in the way._

_They shouldn’t be here, they should be sleeping, but no. They keep sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong and now- now they’re standing in the way._

_They’re standing in my way._

_**They’re standing in my way.** _

_I’m late. I’m already late, there’s no time to spare. It doesn’t matter that they’ve seen now because I’m **late** and they’re **standing in my way.**_

_Have to go, have to move, have to meet up with **him.**_

_**He** won’t be happy. Can’t have him unhappy. **I have to go.**_

_But they’re standing in my way and they won’t budge. **They won’t get out of my way.**_

_They want to **talk** but I don’t **want** to talk. Have somewhere to be, gotta go._

_Why won’t they leave it alone?_

_Why won’t they step aside?_

_...Make them. They’re standing in the way so make them **move.**_

_It doesn’t matter how. It doesn’t matter **how.**_

_**Get rid of them.** _

_**GET RID OF-** _

—

His back hits the ground and Ranboo is awake in an instant. He gasps for air, scrambling to figure out where he is and why he’s outside and why _why **why-**_

His sword is about a foot to his right, as if it was knocked there and the electric buzz in his hand tells him that’s exactly what happened. The daze fades from his eyes and in front of him, two very familiar figures stare at him in shock.

Skeppy’s on the ground with Bad hovering over him. There’s a long, thin but clean cut across the palm of Skeppy’s hand that drips with blood that definitely wasn’t there the night before. 

Ranboo’s eyes slowly move to his sword again. The tip is stained red. 

He nearly loses his lunch right then and there. His arms start shaking and he quickly holds them up to surrender. _No no no no no don’t tell me- don’t say it-_

“R- _Ranboo?”_ Skeppy rasps. He’s searching Ranboo’s eyes for recognition. 

_Skeppy’s hand is bleeding. Ranboo’s sword drips with blood. His head feels fuzzy. Bad is taking a protective stance over Skeppy. Skeppy is wary of him._

Every excuse Ranboo tries to make to himself falls flat. He knows what happened, nobody else has to explain it to him.

The ground seems to give out from under him and he squeezes his eyes shut. His breaths turn into short gasps, wheezing for air as his lungs are too small- _far too small-_

The only thing that manages to reach him is the sound of footsteps approaching him. Ranboo’s eyes fling open as Bad closes in and he scrambles back.

_“Wait- I’m- I’m sorry- I didn’t- I don’t know what-”_

Alarm flickers in Bad’s eyes and suddenly, he lunges at him. A cry escapes Ranboo and his arms fly up to protect himself. He slips, falling back into what he assumes to be the unforgiving ground but a clawed hand grabs his arm and yanks him forward just before he can hit it. 

Instead, Ranboo hits Bad’s chest and his arms wrap around him tightly. He goes still but no attack follows and slowly, but surely, he realizes that Bad doesn’t have him in any sort of defensive or aggressive hold. 

It feels a lot more like a hug than anything. Especially when Bad’s head rests on top of his and only then does he process what the man is saying.

“-‘m sorry but- _oh that could’ve been bad…”_ Bad lets out a shuddering breath, hold loosening a little. “I- I don’t know what’s going on with you Ranboo but _please,_ watch where you’re going! That- _oh goodness…”_

_“...What?”_ Ranboo croaks. He shifts and Bad releases, allowing him to look behind him.

They’re dangerously close to one of the pools’ edges. It clicks in his head that seconds ago, he was just about to back himself into it and a soft, _“oh.”_ escapes him.

He stares at the water for who knows how long but it doesn’t become any easier to breathe. If anything, his thoughts turn against him and make it worse- _you’re a danger to them._

“Ranboo?” He turns back and Skeppy is crouched by him, looking over him with a frown. “You good? You- you’re kinda scaring us.”

Ranboo can’t meet his gaze. Skeppy’s hand still drops with blood. _“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I- I don’t-...”_

“Ranboo- it’s okay!” Bad quickly cuts in.

“It’s not okay- it’s really not! I lost control and I- I _hurt_ Skeppy and I don’t know- _I don’t know-”_

“Ranboo,” Skeppy said in a sterner voice. “I’m the one who got hurt and I’m telling you it’s _fine._ Honestly, this isn’t even the first time.”

Ranboo jolted. _“What?”_

“Not you.” Skeppy quickly amended, wincing sympathetically. “Techno. He’s got a bloodlust he struggles to control and I’ve gotten hurt because of it before. He always feels bad and always tries to make it up to me but it’s fine, it’s rarely anything major and I _know_ he doesn’t mean it. I’m not gonna get mad for something that isn’t your fault.”

“But… How do you know it wasn’t my fault?”

Skeppy and Bad exchange glances. “Well…” Bad starts. “You weren’t speaking any language I know for one- and you weren’t responding normally either! You looked so… Blank. Like you were-”

“Sleepwalking?” Ranboo guesses and winces when Bad nods. “Yeah, I… I was afraid of that.”

“Your eyes were glowing too.” Skeppy adds. Your green one mostly, the other one was dimmer.”

Ranboo makes a weak sound and puts his head in his hands. He doesn’t raise it until Bad puts a hand on his shoulder and shoots him a smile. “Why don’t we head inside? I think we need to talk.”

Ranboo nods and slowly rises to his feet. He follows the pair inside, keeping his head down. Bad thinks for a moment before deciding on settling in the living room.

Ranboo takes a seat in the middle of the couch. Skeppy and Bad move the armchairs to face him and Ranboo nearly laughs at how the situation looks more like he just got called into the principal’s office than anything. 

He gets a little room to breathe and gather what he needs to say while Bad fetches some gauze from the bathroom and wraps Skeppy’s hand. The cut isn’t too deep, nor does Skeppy look terribly bothered by it, but guilt still stirs in Ranboo’s gut.

“So.” Bad says at last.

“So.” Ranboo echoes.

“So.” Skeppy glances between the two. “You sleepwalk.”

“I do, yeah.” Ranboo swallows thickly. “But uh… I- I think it’s only fair to warn you that it’s a little more complicated than that.”

“Well, yeah, I figured that much out.” Skeppy huffs a laugh. “Your eyes were all glowy and empty, never seen someone sleepwalk like that.”

“Me neither. I should also warn you that I… I don’t _fully_ understand how or why it happens?” Ranboo fiddled with his thumbs, looking down at them as he did. “But sometimes I’ll wake up in weird places or find that I have things that I definitely didn’t before but I won’t have any memory of what happened and… Yeah.” Ranboo finishes lamely, a lump forming in his throat.

Bad hummed thoughtfully. “When’s the last time that it happened?”

“I think it was the day before L’Manburg exploded. I fell asleep in my panic room and woke up somewhere else.”

“Is it just that then? You sleepwalk to weird places, sometimes pick up items along the way, and attack when you're startled?”

Ranboo wraps his arms around himself, shrinking. “I really hope so but I don’t- I don’t think it’s that simple. I- I don’t know what but I think there’s something really wrong with me.”

Skeppy’s face soured. “Don’t say that. You’re only gonna make yourself feel worse if you think like that.”

“I can’t just _ignore_ it.” Ranboo tried to say but Skeppy shook his head.

“I’m not saying to ignore it, I’m _saying_ putting yourself down like that isn’t gonna help with shit.”

“Language.” Bad scolded in a hushed tone, but otherwise nodded in agreement. “We can help you figure it out, alright? Baby steps! You’re young, you’re still figuring this stuff out, it’s perfectly fine. I’m still learning things about myself and my abilities, even now! There’s no rush, okay?”

Ranboo shifted. “I really don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”

“So we’ll make sure that nobody does.” Bad soothed him. “Besides, we’re tougher than we look. We can take a hit, it’s not a big deal! Now, do you mind if I ask a few more questions?”

Ranboo shook his head. Bad smiled reassuringly. “Alright, so, when you’re sleepwalking, is it best to leave you alone or to try and wake you up?”

“I… Don’t know but waking me up seemed to help this time so uh. Maybe that?” Ranboo answered weakly. 

“And talking to you in the sleepwalking state won’t help, correct?”

“Don’t think so. I don’t remember any of it anyways.”

“M’kay… And is there anything at all that could tie you to this state? Anything that could cause it?”

“Uh.” _There’s a tune in his head. There’s a smiley face burned into his brain. He doesn’t know why they’re always there, even in the dark corner of his mind but he can’t get them out. He doesn’t know why they make his head spin either._ “Nothing concrete... I have little theories but- I don’t want to say anything without some solid proof.”

Bad accepted that. “Okay. We’ll work this out, don’t worry. You don’t have to do this alone! But we should probably talk more in the morning, it’s pretty late.”

Ranboo’s mouth suddenly turned dry. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight, I, uh, don’t trust myself.”

Bad’s eyes rounded with sympathy but Skeppy had gears turning in his. He broke out into a grin seconds later. “What if we all had a sleepover?”

Ranboo considered that and given they were able to wake him up before... “That… Isn’t a bad idea.”

Skeppy took that as confirmation and immediately raced up the stairs to gather pillows and blankets. Bad snickered watching him and let out a long, relieved sigh.

“I could use a good sleepover.” Bad mused. “It’s been a bit since Skeppy and I had one.”

“Do you guys do sleepovers very often or something?” Ranboo asked curiously. Bad nodded once.

“Sometimes. It’s easier for both of us to sleep when there’s somebody nearby. Calming, y’know?”

“Mmm.” Ranboo nodded back. It made sense, he often felt the same.

Both sat in silence, listening as Skeppy started to throw some of the pillows he couldn’t carry down the stairs and hearing them flop. Bad got up to retrieve them and soon enough, they started to set up the sleepover in the living room.

Despite his protests, Ranboo took the couch while Bad and Skeppy made a place on the floor. A thought occurred to Ranboo but he waited patiently as Bad was getting comfortable to ask. “Hey uh, Bad?”

Bad hummed in response. 

“Can I ask you something? About Dream?”

He tensed for a split second but answered as casually as he could, “Uh, sure! What do you want to know?”

Ranboo chose his words carefully. “Ant mentioned something about… How you and him could sense he was nearby or something? And I guess I’m just kinda curious about that?”

“Oh, right.” Bad huffed a laugh, seemingly grateful that it was an easier question. “Guess that sounds weird if you don’t know him, huh? Dream has a certain presence to him- it’s gotten stronger and been altered over the years but it’s never _stopped_ existing. It’s a bit difficult to sense unless you’re really looking for it but for whatever reason, it’s easiest to feel it when he’s in _Hunter Mode._ Maybe it’s something to do with whatever’s in his blood or maybe that’s when his energy hits its peak but Ant, Sapnap, George, and I have all memorized what it feels like from our old Manhunts. It feels kinda like- like a chill gone up your spine but that feeling doesn’t go away. The hunters become the hunted sorta thing!”

Ranboo frowned. “Okay but what do you mean by ‘Presence’ in the first place? Are you just going off instincts?”

Bad shook his head. “No, I mean it pretty literally! You know the feeling you get when you’re face to face with a Wither? The wave of power it gives off as it’s brought to life? Kiiiinda like that but not as obvious.”

“I- I do know what you mean but,” Ranboo faltered, searching for the right thing to say. “Isn’t Dream..?”

Bad tilted his head but Skeppy caught onto what he was trying to say first. He choked on a high pitched laugh, throwing his head back. “You thought he was _human?”_

Ranboo flushed immediately, embarrassed. “I- is he not?”

“Dude, _nobody_ in this SMP is human. Not fully anyways- everyone’s either got some sort of shapeshifting ability or weird power or something.” Skeppy stifled another laugh. “We’re a bunch of weirdos! Got that much in common at least.”

Ranboo’s mouth opened and closed, trying to think. He knew Niki had a special connection with nature and when he was alive, Wilbur had a small set of wings but it never occurred to him that _everyone_ had some sort of ability or ancestry. _Was everyone really different in one way or another?_ “Wait- does that mean that you’re..?”

Skeppy only winked and didn’t answer the question. Bad continued before Ranboo could ask.

“To be honest, we never figured out exactly what kinda blood Dream has in him.” Bad’s eyes furrowed at the thought. “He never knew his birth parents and even though we knew he had _something_ else in his blood, we couldn’t figure it out. Wasn’t something we knew about, that’s for sure. But other than his presence, we know he has bursts of enhanced strength or speed and irregular endurance but that’s about it.”

“That is… Kinda terrifying.” Ranboo laughed nervously. He thought Dream was terrifying enough as just a regular guy but knowing he was something else… It _changed_ things.

“Don’t worry about him. Like Bad said, we’re a lot tougher than we look.” Skeppy told him, flopping down on his makeshift bed. “We could totally take him, right Bad?”

Bad didn’t seem so sure until Skeppy nudged him and he quickly corrected himself. “Of course, there’s nothing to worry about! It’ll all work out in the end- we’ll figure it out together, okay?”

“O-okay.” Ranboo nodded back. “Okay.”

The three talked for a little longer but whatever adrenaline in Ranboo’s veins must’ve finally faded because he felt himself crashing. He put his head down to rest and the next thing he knew, he was gone.

—

Their voices drop to a hushed whisper once Ranboo is finally asleep. Bad examines him carefully but he appears to be sleeping peacefully, which is a relief.

“He’s not telling us something.” Skeppy says and Bad nods once.

“I know. But we can’t pry unless we know it’s something that’s going to get him hurt. If he wants to share, he can share. We can’t pressure him.”

Skeppy hums in agreement. His arms wrap around his knees and he pulls them close to his chest. “You think it’s something to do with Dream?”

“Maybe.” Bad says. “He seemed extra jumpy when I brought up the idea that Dream was hunting him. Maybe it just scared him but… I don’t know.”

“...If worst comes to worst, are you gonna stand up to Dream?”

Bad tensed and whipped around to face him. “Skeppy- it’s not going to come to that.”

“You don’t know that.” Skeppy warned. He kept his gaze level and his tone serious. “I’m trying to be realistic here, Bad. You said it yourself- you don’t _recognize_ Dream anymore, he’s a fucking wildcard these days.”

“Language- Skeppy, I’ll handle it if it comes to that.”

Skeppy’s tone softened. “I need to know if you’re prepared for the worst, Bad. Because if it comes down to it, you might need to fight him. Are you prepared for that?”

“I-...” Bad faltered. He broke away from Skeppy’s gaze to stare at the floor. “...Yeah. I don’t _want_ to fight if there’s another option but if it comes down to it, I’ll do what needs to be done.”

His voice got quieter at the end until he had nothing else to say. Silence wormed its way in between them as it usually did when Dream was brought up. Tentatively, Skeppy spoke up again. “Do you think he noticed?”

“Noticed..?” Bad trailed off. Skeppy held his gaze until it hit him. “Oh. No, I don’t think he saw it.”

“Should we tell him?”

“I think it would only freak him out more and- I mean, look at him, Skeppy! He’s _terrified.”_ Bad gestured to Ranboo again before he let his arm fall flat. “We’re lucky he was sleepwalking when he could’ve seen it. For now, we get rid of it and we keep a watchful eye out but…”

“He doesn’t have to know.” Skeppy finished the thought. He chewed on his lip before groaning. “I hate lying to him but I think you’re right on this one. He already knows what it would mean anyways, he doesn’t need a reminder that it’s happening.”

Bad let out a long breath. “Glad we’re in agreement at least… I’m going to go take care of it, you’ll watch over him?”

Skeppy waved him off with half an eye roll. “Yeah, yeah, I got him. If he sleepwalks again, I’ll wake him up, it’s not a big deal. It was only a scratch anyways, I just wasn’t expecting it. I’m a big boy, I can handle a teenager with weird habits.”

“He’s got like a foot on you in height.”

Skeppy gasped, offended. “He does _not._ Fuck you, I’m 5’8!”

“Language.” Bad said but snickered at Skeppy’s pout. He waved him off and made a beeline for the stairs. Bad started to slow down the closer he got until he stopped right in front of it. In front of the windows facing the entrance to Ranboo’s room.

It was so simple and yet, foreboding, causing both Bad and Skeppy to freeze when they had seen it for the first time. Even now, Bad is breathless and has to shake himself to snap out of it, hastily retrieving cleaning supplies from the bathroom. 

Bad takes the supplies and slips through the window to get to the other side. He sprays the glass a few times and just for one moment, hesitates as he stares.

The green smiley face painted on the window taunts him. Bad steels his resolve and wipes it away, though doesn’t stop until the window looks cleaner than ever. 

As if the taunting smile was never even painted there in the first place.

“I don’t know what you’re playing at Dream,” Bad says through gritted teeth. “But I won’t be having it, okay? This isn’t a game and I will _not_ be playing along.”

Bad gets no answer. Just wind howling in his ear and a sinking feeling in his gut. 

—

_Somewhere far away from the mansion, or any sort of civilization for that matter, there is a lone figure standing on the top of a hill, waiting for someone that never comes._

_The moon is the only light around, and yet, when it shines on the figure, they cast no shadow. The cold wind is the only thing that surrounds them and once they realize that the one they’re expecting isn’t going to show up, they breathe out slowly._

_It changes things. It complicates them but they always have a backup plan and as they stand on that hill, they know what they have to do._

_They’re gone in the blink of an eye, blending in with the shadows of the night, and the moon is swallowed whole by the clouds above._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter would NOT cooperate with me at first but I finally sat down to power through it and I'd say it came out pretty well!
> 
> I got SO lucky with the recent Canon Ranboo Lore because I mayyyy or may not have been on the right track, just got a few details wrong but it was really easy to fix so :)
> 
> Next chapter is the one containing the scene that low key started this fic in the first place so I'm pretty excited for that! I swear it'll wind down a little soon, this fic might have lore but it has Found Family too and of course I'm gonna have more of that. Also the more I make this fic, the more lore I add and oh boy, canon divergence is fun
> 
> Anyways, thank you for reading! If you liked this chapter, as usual, consider leaving a comment, they're really awesome to see! Until next time!


	7. Infernal Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo tries to catch a break, he really does, but his luck is downright abysmal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this might be the longest chapter so far?

Ranboo is blessed with a dreamless sleep and wakes up feeling a lot better, all things considered.

Bad is finishing up making breakfast when Ranboo enters but briefly stops to say good morning. Skeppy, on the other hand, is having a stare down with Jjeffery, who keeps trying to dip his paw into Skeppy’s glass of milk while Skeppy tries to shoo him away. Ranboo stifles a laugh but helps when Skeppy sends him a pleading look. Jjeffery bounds away at Ranboo’s command and Skeppy watches in disbelief.

“Your cats don’t like me.” Skeppy grumbles, arms crossed.

“They like you fine, I’m just not sure they respect you like they do me.” Ranboo said as gently as he could.

“That’s _worse.”_

“Aw, Skeppy, don’t worry, _I_ respect you!” Bad called over.

“No, you don’t!” Skeppy scoffed at him. “You’ve been making short jokes all morning. You’re _two_ inches taller than me.”

“Right now.” Bad said and Skeppy scowled.

“That doesn’t _count.”_

Bad must’ve thought otherwise because he giggled to himself but didn’t say anything and the fight fell flat. The three of them all took a seat at the table but to Ranboo’s surprise, Bad sat next to him rather than taking his usual spot next to Skeppy. Bad gave him a deliberate but soft nudge as he did, head tilting slightly.

“How’d you sleep? Feeling any better?” Bad asked with concern laced in his tone. Ranboo gave him a reassuring smile in return.

“Yes actually, a lot better.” Bad visibly brightened at his words and while less obvious, Skeppy did as well. “You wanna talk about last night right now or..?”

“We can if you want but I thought you might want to eat first.” Bad said but Ranboo shook his head.

“Would rather get it out of the way. Thinking about it is making me nervous already.”

“Nervous about what?” 

“I, uh…” Ranboo’s mouth went dry. “What isn’t there to be nervous about?”

There was a long pause before Skeppy swallowed what he was chewing to speak up. “We’re not planning on kicking you out if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Ranboo didn’t want to admit it vocally but that was one of the thoughts on his mind. He nodded silently to show he understood and tried not to let the relief show on his face too much. Bad reached over and gave him a gentle side hug as extra reassurance, which Ranboo couldn’t deny he appreciated.

“Okay, so,” Bad said as he pulled away, taking a deep breath, “For whatever reason, Dream is after you- we’re certain of this. We don’t know _why_ or what he even wants from you so our knowledge on the subject is kinda limited but we still have things to work with.”

“Like… What?” Ranboo asked hesitantly.

“Well, Dream didn’t forcefully try to take you with us around so clearly he doesn’t want to take the Badlands on directly. He’s avoiding unnecessary conflict so if I had to guess, our best bet is to chaperone you for a while whenever you go out. Sound fair?”

“Yeah- that sounds good.” Ranboo breathed. The idea of Dream catching him while he was alone was terrifying enough. “If he really is hunting for me like you said then it’s probably best.”

“Perfect! And if you ever feel in danger, find or contact me or Skeppy immediately- Ant or Sam too! They’re all registered in your communicator, right?”

“I’m pretty sure everyone is, yes.”

“Great!” Bad grinned.

“Basically you’re gonna be on house arrest for a while.” Skeppy added, grimacing slightly. “It’s gonna suck but we’ll do what we can to be entertaining.” 

Ranboo chuckles a little at that. “I appreciate it but I can sacrifice a little freedom for my own safety. I’ll be fine.”

The conversation ends shortly after and even if Ranboo doesn’t feel all that hungry, he eats anyway.

—

Given Ranboo hadn’t really gone out much before, ‘House arrest’ as Skeppy had put it, wasn’t all that different. Although he was slowly running out of things to do that wouldn’t require him to leave.

Unlike most, Ranboo actually doesn’t mind doing chores because it gives him something familiar to do but Bad refused to let him do _all_ of them, saying he needed to take more time for himself. When Skeppy found out, he more bluntly told Ranboo to find a hobby. 

So Ranboo decided to kill two birds with one stone by digging out a muffin recipe and starting to bake some for Bad. Not that they were on any shortage of baked goods as Bad kept a stock of them but more as a ‘Thank you’ for all that he had done for Ranboo so far. It was the least he could do- all his other ideas required him to have access to an enchanting table and an anvil so he stuck with something simple but personal.

Ranboo wasn’t the best baker but he had some experience at least. Niki had taught him how when he had first come to the SMP and was staying the night at her place. He knew how to follow a recipe well enough but then again, Ranboo never tried to make muffins before. 

Ranboo has to take a second from mixing when Niki comes to mind. _Still a sore subject it seems,_ Ranboo thinks to himself with a low sigh. Though he supposes it's fair. Niki had been one of his closest friends before, always kind to him and understanding when he needed her. Ranboo doesn’t know where it all went wrong but he has his guesses.

L’Manburg being at the top of it all. What happened in that country that made it twist everyone who originally fought for it, Ranboo doesn’t know, but he saw the aftermath of it all to know how it ended. 

There was Tubbo, once bright and full of hope, cut down again and again until he decided that if the world would be cold to him, he would return the attitude. Told that the only thing he could truly trust was himself and that the only way to solve violence was with brute force or fear. Ranboo wishes he could do something for him but he couldn’t blame him. Tubbo had gotten caught in the crossfire one too many times.

Then there was Tommy and Ranboo didn’t even know where to start with him. Wilbur, someone he considered both looked up to and considered a brother, spiraled until he died and took the country down with him. He watched his country that he helped fight for- despite being _sixteen_ \- be torn apart until it was beyond repair. Dream _alone_ \- Ranboo only has mere pieces of what he did to Tommy but he knows enough to be rightfully horrified. Truthfully, Ranboo doesn’t understand the importance of his discs other than the fact that they’re important to _Tommy_ and he’s afraid of losing the one thing he has left from the past.

Wilbur… Is someone Ranboo never knew. He only knows Ghostbur, the shadow of his former self, but the stories he hears are enough. His creation of L’Manburg, his subtle thirst for power, his downfall and distrust of everyone, his obsession with getting rid of it all, before finally he blew up the country after winning it back and was finally put to rest by his own father.

Few in L’Manburg seemed to have anything nice to say about Eret, ever distrustful of the one who betrayed them, but when Ranboo asked Eret about L’Manburg, they only spoke of the good. Of the passion, of the good times, of the people- Eret spoke of it like it was long gone despite the fact that at the time, it still was around. Ranboo learned very quickly that along with their crown and sunglasses, they also carried regret, guilt, and longing everywhere they went.

Jack on the other hand, carried bitterness with him, plain as day. L’Manburg and the people within it had wronged him again and again and yet, Jack stayed with them for a long time. Though the last Ranboo saw of him, he had nearly died for good during L’Manburg’s destruction and had a dark look in his eye that Ranboo didn’t like.

And Fundy and Niki, who both seeked the warmth their country and Wilbur had once given them, finally turned away from it when it only wanted to use them again for its own benefit. Ranboo understood their frustrations but hardly thought that their way of going about it was healthy.

Ranboo released a long sigh he didn’t realize he was holding and resumed mixing, though his thoughts didn’t leave him. Why did everyone on the SMP inevitability turn to violence for an answer? Why couldn’t they all see that that would just start the cycle all over again? Why didn’t they _understand?_

Maybe it’s because Ranboo is a newer citizen to the SMP or maybe it’s because he’s determined not to give in like everyone else has but he just doesn’t understand how any of them could change like they have. How Niki, always gentle and respectful to her plants and always telling Ranboo to treat them with care as they were just alive as she was, could turn on her heel and burn down the oldest tree on the SMP.

He wishes he could stop it all. He wishes they could all just _listen_ to him. He wishes- 

_He wishes they were all just one big, happy family..._

It takes Ranboo a minute to realize he’s zoned out but he shakes himself. The last thought felt less of his own and more… _Something_ else but Ranboo doesn’t see anything harmful about it so he dismisses it. It would be nice if the SMP was united anyways.

Ranboo pours out the muffin batter into the tray before sliding it into the furnace to cook. He sets a timer on his phone and just as he finishes, Skeppy rounds the corner and greets him. He doesn’t pay attention to what Ranboo is doing, instead looking through the cabinets and eventually locating a large, ceramic jar and carefully sets it down on the counter.

Ranboo wasn’t sure what he was expecting Skeppy to pull out of the jar but it certainly wasn’t lapis and he did not expect to see Skeppy take a bite out of it like it was an apple. He sputtered a shocked _‘Huh?’_ as Skeppy chewed noisily and blinked at Ranboo like what he was doing was completely normal.

“What?” Skeppy said when he finally gulped down what he bit off. Ranboo just stared, mouth open.

“You… That’s a rock, Skeppy.”

“Yeah, I know.” It took Skeppy a few seconds to catch on but when he did, he wheezed with laughter. “Oh fuck- I never told you, did I? I’m half crystal golem, I gotta eat gemstones every once in a while to be healthy and shit.”

“Ohhhh.” Ranboo relaxed, chuckling a little as he did. “That- that makes _so_ much more sense, thank you.”

Skeppy waved him off with a muffled ‘No problem’ and took another bite. Ranboo shifted in place, looking down at his timer and back up again.

“So… Does it matter what you eat if you don’t mind me asking?” Ranboo asked tentatively. Skeppy shook his head.

“Nah, I don’t mind. And kiiiinda. Health wise? Not really, just as long as it’s clean and it helps a lot more if it’s naturally generated. Taste wise? Absolutely- Pearls taste like seafood, lapis- it tastes exactly what I imagine eating a literal enchantment would be like- and _diamonds_ are the best. But I can’t really have those anymore unless I go out to mine for them myself.”

Ranboo raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

“Because I miiiight’ve eaten half of our stash right before a war started and we were low when it happened.” Skeppy winces. “Bad said it was fine because we had enough but it was _way_ too close for comfort. I would get more but haven’t been able to go grind for them in a while. Which kinda sucks because they’re the best but eh, it happens.”

Ranboo paused as slowly, a thought came to mind. He told Skeppy to stay where he was and quickly tracked down the closest enderchest in the house. When he returned, he held out a block of diamonds to Skeppy and his jaw dropped. 

“Here!” Ranboo gestured for Skeppy to take it, who backed up.

“Dude, I can’t take that- that’s _nine_ diamonds!” Skeppy gaped. 

“Take it, think of it as rent or- or a ‘Thank you’ for helping.” Ranboo held it out insistingly. “It would make me feel better if you took it.”

Skeppy hesitated, eyes darting from Ranboo to the block and back a few times before he finally accepted it. Though he tried not to look eager doing it, Ranboo didn’t miss the pleased look in his eye when he glanced down at the block before starting to break it apart and store it in the jar. 

_“Only_ because you insisted.” Skeppy told him pointedly. “I don’t need ‘rent’ anyways. Me and Bad are pretty well off.”

“Yeah but…” Ranboo pressed his mouth into a thin line. “You’ve both been really kind and I wanted to return the favor. It really means a lot to me that you guys are letting me stay here- _and_ that you guys are looking out for me.”

Skeppy’s eyes flickered but he quickly masked it with a nonchalant look and a smile. “Don’t sweat it, you’re a good kid, ‘course we’re looking out for you.”

Ranboo didn’t have a good enough verbal response so he just nodded. Skeppy’s eyes flickered to the lit up furnace and nodded to it. “What are you making?”

“Oh, uh, muffins. Bad talks about them enough so I assume he really likes them..?” Ranboo said, though started to feel more uncertain at the end. Luckily, Skeppy’s grin was enough to convince him otherwise. 

“He’ll love it.” Skeppy assured him.

Ranboo believed him of course but still had a lingering fear until he finally presented Bad with his gift and watched his eyes light up.

—

Ranboo started to learn little things the more time he spent with the pair.

Apparently Bad was immune to most fire and lava, taking great pleasure in lying in both- especially soul sand fire- finding it calming. Though, when Ranboo asked, he was not immune to fire aspect on swords. Apparently magical fire was the one exception to the rule.

Skeppy, at one point, admitted that he could in fact talk to iron golems but reportedly told Ranboo that most ‘Had a stick up their butts’ and were ‘Fun suckers’ so he didn’t go out of his way to do so. He also could apparently understand snow golems as well but told Ranboo that most of them were ominous and creepy so he avoided them too.

Though as Ranboo learned these things, he didn’t quite realize that it went both ways until he asked Skeppy why he always blasted music when he did the dishes and Skeppy told him that he looked kinda tense at the sound of water so he started doing it to help.

Not to mention, Bad noticed Ranboo’s clothes were limited and hard to come by because of his height so he told Ranboo he was getting in contact with someone who could custom tailor him some more outfits for him to wear. 

Ranboo physically didn’t know how to respond to that but luckily did _not_ cry in front of him _and_ managed to thank him all the same.

—

“Hey, Ranboo?”

Skeppy leaned against the threshold of the door, eyebrows raised. Ranboo stopped writing in his memory book to look up. 

“Did you put a grass block in my room? I noticed you carrying one around earlier.”

Ranboo’s mouth opened and closed. Grass blocks- they felt _right_ to hold in a way he couldn’t explain and recently, the urge to give them to Bad and Skeppy was getting overwhelming. He had felt too embarrassed to do it directly so he left one in each of their rooms without thinking. He hoped it would go unnoticed but then again, that was kinda a tall order considering it was so out of place and obviously his doing.

“Yes.” Ranboo said slowly. “I- I can’t really explain why I did that..?”

Skeppy just dipped his head understandingly and walked away. 

Ranboo couldn’t stop himself from checking if Skeppy or Bad had gotten rid of it later when they were out of sight. Neither of them had, with Skeppy’s tucked neatly into the corner with an empty vase on top of it while Bad had turned his into a mini flowerbed.

Ranboo really didn’t know why it felt good to know they kept it.

—

On his third night of ‘House arrest,’ Ranboo slipped out of his room late at night to fetch more of his milk-water and nearly had a heart attack when someone was lurking in the hallway, sword in hand.

It was just Bad and he sighed in relief but his heart still thumped in his chest. “Oh- hey. I didn’t think you’d still be up.”

Bad seemed tense upon seeing him too but quickly relaxed and smiled. “Oh, I couldn’t sleep so I was just stretching my legs!”

Ranboo paused, looking down at the sword Bad was trying to subtly hide behind his back. “...Has anyone ever told you that you’re not a great liar?”

“More than half the people I know.” Bad grumbled and stopped trying to hide his weapon. “Especially Skeppy- but he has an unfair advantage so he doesn’t _get_ to talk.”

“So… What are you doing?” Ranboo pressed. Bad thought about his response before he gave it.

“I’m… Patrolling. Just in case.” Bad said slowly. “Skeppy and I take shifts.”

The implications hit Ranboo like a truck. “Patrolling- for Dream?”

“And to snap you out of it if you start sleepwalking again.” Bad nodded, shifting in place. “It’s not a big deal. Least we could do.”

Ranboo stared. _“Not a big deal?”_ He scoffed. “You’re going out of your way to _protect_ me- I think that’s a pretty big deal.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Bad tried to shrug it off and changed the subject. “But I’m planning on going out to collect wood tomorrow, you want to come? Get out of the house a little?”

Ranboo paused and nodded. “Yeah actually, that sounds nice.”

Bad seemed happy with that and ended up following him to the kitchen as he collected his drink before Ranboo headed back to bed. Ranboo wanted to ask more questions but he doubted he would get any so he settled for wishing Bad a good night.

—

The air was crisp when they went out but Ranboo didn’t mind as much because as it turned out, a little fresh air did wonders.

He followed Bad into the forest and the pair began to chop down trees to collect wood, then replanting the ones they took down. It was harder labor than laundry or cooking but Ranboo found it was enjoyable nonetheless. Working up a sweat felt nice, not to mention it helped drown out any worries he had about going out.

Ranboo started to stray a little from Bad’s side but stayed within the general area. He knew Bad wasn’t far and that was comforting but Bad mentioned wanting a variety of wood so Ranboo searched for birch and spruce to chop down rather than oak.

The latter was a little harder to find but once he did, Ranboo began to collect it, once again lost in the motions. He was only brought back when a chill went down his spine and a paralyzing feeling filled him. It sprang out of nowhere, taking Ranboo by the throat as he suddenly realized that in his search for spruce, he lost track of where Bad was and was abruptly alone.

_No, he’s not alone, he’s being **watched-**_

“Hello, Ranboo.”

His blood turned to ice and he lost the ability to make a sound. Ranboo turned slowly, hoping he imagined it but only stumbled back at the figure behind him, far more _real_ than it had ever been.

Ranboo couldn’t take his eyes off that smiling mask. It hypnotized him in the worst way possible. His behavior got a chuckle out of him.

“I think we need to talk, Ranboo.” Dream said slowly and deliberately. Ranboo couldn’t tell if he was being casual, threatening, or a confusing and impossible mix of the two that only he could pass off. “Come with me, I have the perfect place.”

Ranboo tried to run but he was only able to stumble back, chest rising and falling rapidly. _No- no way this was real- he’s not here, it’s just a hallucination, right?_ “I- I would really rather not.” He stammered out.

Dream just chuckled again, low and dangerous. “I wasn’t asking, Ranboo.” He said with a hundred and one implications in his tone and none of them Ranboo liked. He tried to pinch himself to snap out of it but it wasn’t a dream, no matter how much he hoped it would be.

Ranboo wanted to run or scream for help or say something- _anything_ that might’ve either wormed his way out or bought him enough time to figure out what the hell to do next but he couldn’t so much as _breathe_ right. It came out quick and shaky and-

And Ranboo couldn’t stop staring at that stupidly threatening smile on the mask. Ranboo had no proof of the fact because he physically couldn’t see Dream’s face but he couldn’t get out of his head that Dream- Dream was _definitely_ smiling at him. He could picture it in his head- a smile like he’d already won- but didn’t know why he could picture it so _clearly-_

“You’re going to come with me,” Dream held out his hand but it wasn’t a gentle persuasion by any means. It wasn’t anything like Bad’s outstretched hand when he first offered him to stay weeks ago, steady and open but not forceful, simply offering him help for him to take or leave. This was a threat and Ranboo knew that from the second he saw it. “Or I’m going to _make you_ come with me.”

Ranboo’s head was starting to fill with static, getting harder and harder to think. Running for it sounded more like a death sentence now then it did an escape but the last thing Ranboo wanted to do was go with him. He couldn’t move, backed into a corner with the only way out alive and unharmed being the one thing he didn’t want to do.

Then there was a hand on his shoulder, gently pulling him back and suddenly, Bad was standing in front of him, purposefully shielding him from Dream and taking a protective stance. Dream’s demeanor changed as fast as flipping a switch, looking a lot less cocky and a lot more guarded. Ranboo no longer felt his suffocating gaze on him but rather, it was trained on the demon.

_“Dream,”_ Bad said, not quite snarling but something close to it. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Step aside, Bad.” Dream told him. None of the same threatening venom nor cockiness was in his voice, it was just cold, commanding, and _careful._ “You don’t understand what you’re dealing with.”

“I don’t?” Bad replied smoothly, though hints of hidden fury was laced in his voice. “Then why don’t you kindly _educate_ me?”

Dream took his time to answer that. “Ranboo is a danger to the SMP.” He settled on at last, and Ranboo tried not to flinch that _that_ was what he had gone with. “He needs to be taken somewhere so that I can keep a proper eye on him. Make sure he doesn’t cause anymore trouble.”

“I’ve been keeping an eye on him just fine.” Bad told him sharply. “He’s been nothing but pleasant. What kind of trouble are you talking about?”

“...I have reason to believe that he took part in blowing up the community house.”

The air was stolen from Ranboo’s lungs and he breathed shakily, eyes wide. Bad must’ve noticed because he only seemed to become more defensive. “Is that so?”

_“Yes.”_ Dream said firmly and none too gently. “Which is why he either needs to come to me or needs to be kept in Sam’s prison, your choice.”

The only reason Ranboo could still stand at all was because Bad was blocking him from Dream’s direct line of sight. The demon didn’t waver for so much as a second, though he did take a long while to respond.

“Dream,” Bad said at last. Dream inclined his head, waiting for an answer. “You built that prison on the Badlands’ territory and commissioned Sam, a _member_ of the Badlands, to build it. You told me that it wasn’t for me or anyone else in the Badlands, but rather for someone _dangerous_ and who _needed to be contained._ Correct?”

Dream nodded once, silent and watching Bad carefully.

“Ranboo is _neither_ of those things.” Bad told him, unyielding. “And I refuse to let an innocent person- an innocent _kid_ \- be imprisoned there when he’s under my care.”

“Is this your way of saying Ranboo is a part of the Badlands now?” Dream asked.

“Not necessarily a part of it,” Bad’s eyes narrowed. “But Ranboo is under the protection of the Badlands. Under _my_ protection. Is that understood?”

Dream didn’t say a word. The silence was more like thorns pricking his skin rather than comforting but finally, soundlessly, Dream turned away and began to walk away.

Ranboo let out a shaky breath but froze again when Dream abruptly stopped. Bad didn’t move a muscle, eyes fixated on Dream. 

Dream moved so subtly that Ranboo almost didn’t catch it but his hand moved to the hilt of his sword, fingers starting to curl around it. A strangled gasp got caught in Ranboo’s throat and though he knew Bad saw it too, he instinctively reached out and tugged on the sleeve of his arm.

And almost immediately after he did, Bad suddenly started to glow with power and Ranboo released him immediately. Dream spun around at the light it gave off, right hand still on the hilt of his sword but he didn’t draw it. Instead, both of them watched as Bad’s form changed and _stretched._

His horns grew taller, his tail was not only longer but _sharper,_ as if it was just as much of a weapon as his claws were. A pair of bat-like wings sprouted from his back and stretched out and Ranboo suddenly realized that somehow, impossibly, Bad was now taller than him. _Far_ taller than him- he had to have been at least nine feet in height now rather than his usual 5’10.

A low rumble that Ranboo suddenly realized was a growl emitted from Bad and before he realized what was going on, Bad began to circle him protectively. His gaze did not leave Dream.

_**“I told you that he’s under my protection.”**_ Bad spoke in a voice that was deeper and more scratchy than usual. Ranboo’s only fear came from the confusion of the situation and from being so close to Dream however. Although definitely more frightening than usual, Ranboo didn’t feel afraid of Bad himself. Even if he was looking and acting differently, something told him that Bad would never hurt him.

The world was still for a second before Bad growled again. _**“Get out of my sight, Dream. If you dare so much as touch him, you will feel my wrath.”**_

Dream was gone in the blink of an eye. Ranboo finally allowed himself to gasp for a breath, back pressing against Bad, who didn’t take his eyes off of where Dream had left until he was certain he was gone.

The second he was sure of that, Ranboo was scooped up like a bag of grapes and didn’t have any time to get a word in before Bad took to the skies. Ranboo was never a fan of heights but a mixture of Bad’s secure grip on him and the fact that his head was still spinning too much for him to care allowed him not to immediately start screaming. It didn’t even last that long, Bad was quick to immediately head for home and touch down on the lawn, though hadn’t quite let Ranboo go yet. 

Skeppy met them there, as if he already knew they were coming back, and skidded to a halt in front of them. He gave Ranboo a reassuring look before focusing on Bad, gaze level and holding his arms up. “Bad, hey, settle down, how are you feeling?”

_**“Dream.”**_ Bad growled, grip tightening a little on Ranboo, though it wasn’t uncomfortable. Ranboo was simply a little squished, though kept still as he had little idea of what else to do. _**“He threatened him. He’s a threat- an enemy- he wouldn’t LISTEN.”**_

“I know- he’s a real dick.” Skeppy said bluntly, though where humor would normally be in his tone, there was none. His face was focused and tight. “But he’s gone- you scared him off, right? It’s okay now.”

_**“It’s not okay.”** _

“It _is_ okay.” Skeppy said in a firmer, more commanding tone. “There’s no more danger. You took care of it, you can let go.”

It felt almost comical the way Skeppy seemed to command the nine foot tall demon- especially how much it _worked._ Bad faltered and gently, he set Ranboo down.

His eyes darted but Skeppy caught him before he could get a word out. “He’s not out there- you know that. C’mon Bad, deep breaths.”

_**“What if-!”** _

_"Hey.”_ Skeppy drew his attention back to him, gesturing with his hands. Bad paused, finally letting Ranboo go to back up a little and give him the space he needed before Bad bent down low enough for Skeppy to cup his face in his hands. “We got this, alright? You can let go now, you know you need to.”

Bad hesitated for a long while but in the end, his form glowed again and he shrunk again. His wings disappeared, his tail dulled, his horns were shorter, and Bad collapsed into Skeppy’s expecting arms, his regular sized self again. Skeppy chuckled and murmured a soft, _“There you go”_ as he wrapped his arms around him and slowly helped him settle on the ground. Bad’s eyes were unfocused and his legs were too shaky to stand but otherwise, he seemed unhurt.

With one hand still on his best friend, Skeppy turned his attention to Ranboo. “You need to sit down too? You’re looking lightheaded.”

Ranboo nodded and took a seat beside them, letting out a long breath. Skeppy waited until he was ready, sneaking glances at Bad to check on him, then asked, “How you feeling?”

“I- I don’t know.” Ranboo answered honestly. “I’m still… Processing. I- what just happened? With Bad?”

“He’s got a Full Demon Mode he can go into.” Skeppy explained with Bad faintly nodding along. “Kinda takes a lot out of him but it’s powerful. Not even _Technoblade_ is brave enough to fight him when he goes into it. Wasn’t for that long and he didn’t fight while in it so he’ll be fine in a few minutes.” Skeppy sombered a second later. “You’re good though? Dream didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Ranboo shook his head. “He didn’t even touch me but he- I…”

Ranboo didn’t know what to say, mouth going dry. He looked to Bad for help, hoping he would explain as a more hardened look appeared on his face. Bad looked to Skeppy, eyes locking onto each other.

_“Tell Ant and Sam that the Badlands has a new enemy.”_ Bad croaked, voice raw but firm all the same. _“And tell them that we need to talk in person soon.”_

Skeppy nodded understandingly, quickly pulling out his communicator and immediately starting to relay the message. Bad pushed himself to his feet then met Ranboo’s gaze and offered his hand out to him. 

_“We-_ we should get inside.” Bad told him. “It’s safer there.”

_‘Ranboo is under the protection of the Badlands’_ rang in his head and he took Bad’s hand without question

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been waiting to write this scene with Dream for FOREVER. Originally it was going to be in the second chapter before I decided to do a little more build up to it and well, here we are!
> 
> I saw 'Bad is 9'6ft tall' and decided that he CAN be 9ft tall, he's just not that all the time. Also I'm unapologetically apart of the 'Let BadBoyHalo be badass' club so this definitely reflects that.
> 
> I think the canon divergence is gonna get a lot more obvious now- especially in the next chapter- and I cannot wait to show off what I have planned! Some events will still happen but they'll turn very different and I'm excited for it. More characters are gonna pop up and its almost SAM time.
> 
> Also I have a list of what I HC most of the people on the SMP's abilities or hybrid ties are and while this isn't at all important to the fic, it's very important to me that you all know that canonically in this universe, HBomb is a catboy. That is all.
> 
> Anyways, I hope y'all enjoyed! Consider leaving a comment if you did! In the process of making an mcyt twitter so I can give progress updates and share HCs and so that is probably gonna happen as well if you're interested!


	8. Money Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo opens up a little more and Bad makes an important trip to a certain mercenary. 
> 
> Dream makes his own plans in retaliation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some different POVs in this one! Enjoy!

Skeppy, Ranboo learns very quickly as Bad relays what happened to him, does not like Dream in the slightest. Or at the very least, doesn’t like him anymore.

That one particular word comes up quite a few times when Bad speaks of Dream. _‘He’s not our friend and ally anymore’_ or _‘He can’t be trusted anymore.’_ Little things hinting towards a past he doesn’t know, and Ranboo doesn’t have the courage to ask Bad just how close he used to be with Dream.

Ranboo vaguely knows that Bad and Dream used to be friends but the way he talks about him makes Ranboo believe that their relationship went a lot deeper than that. It almost reminds him of the way he thinks about Niki- someone he once trusted with his life, now shaky on where he stands with her.

But whatever sentiment Bad has for Dream, Skeppy clearly doesn’t share. Because while Bad seems furious with Dream, betrayal and hurt lurks in his eyes too. That Dream taking a more hostile approach forced Bad’s hand and now he’s sitting in the aftermath, saddened that he had to make himself clear at all. 

And as Bad tries his best not to mope, Skeppy’s mood sours, as does his increasingly bitter attitude towards Dream.

“He accused him of blowing up the community house?” Skeppy scoffs when he hears Bad repeat what Dream said to them. There’s a look in his eyes that seems to want nothing more than to fight Dream one on one but he sits still and rolls his eyes instead of acting on it. “Seriously? That guy looks for any excuse to get away with whatever the fuck he wants, doesn’t he?”

“W-well…” Ranboo stammers and all eyes snap to him in an instant. They don’t seem accusatory but even so, Ranboo has never been so glad that Enderchest decided to lay on him while he talks to them. He scratches her under the chin and feels her vibrate with purrs. It loosens a knot in his chest.

“Did you?” Skeppy asks at last, and thankfully he sounds genuinely curious rather than stern. Bad shoots him a look and he quickly backpedals. “I’m sorry but he just doesn’t strike me as the type of guy to commit arson!”

“I- I don’t usually but I did on my first day on the SMP.” Ranboo admits quietly and Skeppy’s eyes light up. 

_“Really?”_

“Yeah- Tommy kinda peer pressured me into vandalising George’s house.”

Skeppy barks a laugh, leaning back in his chair. “Let me guess, did he sleep through that too?"

_“Skeppy!"_ Bad cuts in, scowling at Skeppy who cackles in response unapologetically. Despite his attitude, Bad doesn’t seem half as annoyed as his tone suggests. “We’re getting further away from the point!”

Skeppy yields but his mouth remains quirked up. Bad turns back to Ranboo, nodding at him encouragingly. “Now, what were you saying? About the community house?”

Ranboo hesitates. He wants to say with absolute certainty that he had nothing to do with it but he doesn’t think he could if he tried. He fidgets in place, trying to get the voice that calls him a traitor out of his head but even if quiet, it’s still there. “I don’t know for sure.” Ranboo settles with at last. It’s the best answer he can give that doesn’t condemn him or raise one too many questions that he can’t answer. “My memory- it’s pretty bad so I can’t always rely on it but… I can’t dispute it for sure either. I might’ve had something to do with it but I don’t-… I don’t know.” Ranboo finishes, swallowing thickly.

“I see...” Bad frowns at first while he takes in what Ranboo said but shakes his head firmly in the end, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “Dream would’ve made a way bigger deal out of it if he had more solid ‘evidence’ so the likelihood that he’s going to hold that over your head is relatively low.”

Bad paused, then his eyes darkened. “Not to mention- don’t quote me on this because I might be wrong- but I don’t think _Dream_ is in any place to convict you of a crime he might be guilty of as well.”

Skeppy caught onto what he was implying faster than Ranboo did. He snapped to attention so fast that it made Ranboo’s head spin. “Wait- you think he..?” Skeppy trailed off, though there was an urgency in his voice for Bad to continue. Bad grimaced.

“I sure _hope_ not but he hasn’t been acting himself in months and I’ve known him since he was a teenager. I know how he lies and he was definitely being… _Muffiny.”_

Finally, it clicked in Ranboo’s head. His eyes widened and he blurted out, _“You think he blew up the community house himself?”_

Bad noticeably hesitated, which probably said a lot more than he intended, but he answered in the end. “Well… I think there’s a _chance_ he did considering how he’s been. Not to mention, the community house being destroyed seemed to benefit him a lot more than anybody else since it gave him the chance to blame Tommy and retrieve the remaining disc,” Skeppy seemed to react to the word ‘Disc’ but when Ranboo glanced at him, his face refused to betray any emotion, “And he destroyed L’Manburg in retaliation after convincing Techno to join him. If anyone were to _want_ it to be destroyed and taken it into their own hands to do so… Dream makes the most sense.” Bad said, though sounded more and more bitter by the end of it. “I just don’t have any actual proof.”

“I think all of that is proof enough.” Skeppy countered.

“That’s- that’s all _circumstantial_ evidence, Skeppy.”

“Enough for me. Can we lock him in Sam’s prison?”

Bad sputtered at the idea. “We- we would need a _lot_ of help to do that. He wouldn’t go down quietly and even if I was able to scare him off before, that’s only going to make him prepare for it next time. He doesn’t fall for the same trick twice, he’s going to-...”

Bad stopped, abruptly staring off. Ranboo could imagine the light in his head flickering to life until finally, he stood up. Skeppy blinked and the two of them watched him race into the basement, returning five minutes later with a bag slung around his shoulders.

“Skeppy- can you hold down the fort? I have something I need to do.” Bad said in a hurry and Skeppy quirked an eyebrow up.

“Uhh, yeah, sure. When will you be back?”

“Soon I hope. If I’m not back within three hours and haven’t checked in, assume the worst and call Ant and Sam!” Bad called as he bolted for the front door and left without explaining where he was going or what he was doing.

Skeppy watched him disappear down the prime path, then shot a look at Ranboo, shrugging as he did. “Well. Alright then, guess you’re stuck with me.”

Ranboo’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I… What just happened?”

“No idea.” Skeppy told him simply. “But from the looks of it, he’s got some sort of idea in mind for how to combat Dream, or at least slow him down. Don’t worry, though. You’ll be safe with me.”

—

Punz didn’t get many visitors that weren’t Dream, and even those visits were few and far in between.

This wasn’t unfamiliar in the slightest to him. Punz had taken on being a mercenary’s apprentice at sixteen and had been in the line of work ever since. He worked best on his own, finding having partners only added variables that complicated the job and could only lead to things going wrong. He didn’t like having too many attachments either so he kept them close to his chest.

There was a shulker box in his enderchest that he prized over almost any of his other possessions other than the necklace he kept on him at all times. He had a few pets and a few people on the SMP he considered himself close to but that was it. He knew how easily people could be exploited using their attachments and Punz did not intend to suffer the same fate.

People tended to be wary of him given his allegiance with Dream, which he supposed was fair. Dream had angered most of the people on the SMP and Punz was actively spying for him in return for gold and other riches. It was only nature for others to be careful of him.

So no, Punz didn’t get many visitors and the knock at his door surprised him. He knew instantly that it wasn’t Dream because Dream never knocked in the first place. He always had let himself in silently and started talking business as soon as Punz realized he was there, which usually was instant. Simple and to the point, no need for chivalry.

Which meant that Punz had a visitor. His eyebrow raised and slowly, he made his way over to the door and cracked it open, just enough for him to see but also easily be able to shut and lock in order to stall should he need to deal with someone hostile. He paused upon seeing the face of BadBoyHalo and opened the door wider.

Bad greeted him, as friendly as ever, but was tense in the shoulders. _Business, not pleasantries,_ Punz identified immediately. He had taken enough jobs to know the difference.

Punz invited him in, unable to deny the curiosity of what kind of job _BadBoyHalo_ of all people would give him and led the way. He found a good place to sit down and waited for Bad to make the first move. It was best to always let the client talk first after all.

As expected, Bad started with small talk, “Your place looks nice, did you clean recently?”

“I did.”

“I like it!”

“Thank you.” Punz said before pressing. “Why are you here?”

Nervous energy rolled off Bad in waves. “We’re friends, aren’t we? Couldn’t I just be visiting a friend?”

“We are, but you want something.” Punz told him flatly. Bad dropped the defense, nodding slightly and finally gave in.

“You… You work for the highest bidder, don’t you? You’re a mercenary.” Bad said slowly, peaking Punz’s interest. When Punz confirmed with another nod, Bad continued. “I want to hire your services- or, well… I more so want to pay you to stop working for Dream but I might need your help too.”

Now _that_ was interesting. No specific job in mind, only a request to cut ties and ally himself with him. Punz doesn’t think he’s ever gotten a request quite like that before. He’s been paid to switch sides before but usually they had something in mind they wanted him to do. A war to fight or somebody to track down. This doesn’t feel like either of those things. It feels _defensive._

“Why?” Punz asked Bad, watching his eyes carefully. Bad shot him a look.

“Do you need a reason?”

_Smart man._ “Not at all. I should warn you though, it’ll cost you. Dream has been paying me quite a bit.”

“I figured as much.” Bad paused before fishing out something from his bag and placing it on the table. Punz’s eyes widened at not only the material but the _amount_ as well. “Will this be enough?”

“Five netherite ingots?” Punz reached over to inspect each one. All of them were legitimate, he could tell that the second he picked it up. _More than Dream’s ever paid me._ He stifles a laugh. “You _really_ don’t want me working for Dream, do you?”

“No.” Bad said, quieter than before. “I don’t. Is that a ‘Yes’ then?”

Punz doesn’t have to think about it very hard. It’s just as Bad said after all, he works for the highest bidder. “It is. Pleasure doing business.” He scoops up the netherite, eyeing it with interest. He has all the tools he needs but it never hurts to have extras. He glances back up at Bad after a beat. “Although I should warn you, Dream might try and outbid you.”

“I figured as much. If he gives you more than I did, contact me immediately,” Bad tells him with a focused look in his eye, “I’ll up my price, just _don’t_ take any more jobs for him, alright? Especially anything regarding being a hitman.”

Punz has questions but he knows better than to ask them. He’s been paid, he doesn’t need anything more. He just nods again and Bad doesn’t stick around much longer, excusing himself and leaving. Punz stores away the netherite in his enderchest once he’s gone, still baffled by the sheer amount Bad was willing to pay for something like cutting ties with Dream. Last he checked, the pair were on relatively good terms, for Dream at least. What Dream did to make Bad turn against him must’ve been big.

Punz closes his enderchest, focusing again. The strange nature and request of Bad’s visit can only mean one thing: Dream won’t be too far behind.

Punz keeps himself busy around the base waiting for his inevitable arrival. Whatever needs patching up because someone else broke it or a creeper got to it is fixed and he tends to his animals. Anticipation makes him restless but he refuses to let it affect him.

Dream is only an hour or two behind Bad’s visit, suddenly pearling in from behind him and leaning up against the walls to his base casually. As casual as he tries to appear, there’s a fury behind his demeanor and Punz can feel it. It both answers some questions and raises more about what exactly happened between Bad and Dream.

“I need a job done.” Dream skips right to the point, just as he’s always done. “A hit of sorts, but not to kill.”

“I can’t take it.” Punz interrupts before Dream goes into details and the masked man goes still.

A minute passes though it feels like longer. “...What?” Dream says at last, voice taut.

Punz stands his ground. He’s used to Dream’s temper and has gotten used to the physical effect it can have. For Punz, he’s able to brush it off as easily and continues without skipping a beat. “I’ve been paid not to take any more jobs from you. Nothing personal but unless you want to give me something more valuable than five netherite ingots, I’m not working for you anymore.”

Dream’s jaw clenches. “This was Bad’s doing, wasn’t it?” He asks, tone sharper than the blade he wields. Even so, Punz doesn’t so much as flinch.

“It doesn’t matter who my client is. Are you going to pay me or not?”

Dream places down an enderchest immediately and starts to dig through it, which is a yes if Punz has ever seen one. He mutters bitterly under his breath, trying to decide on exactly what to give him when all of a sudden, Dream stops. He doesn’t seem to stare at something in particular, but rather, an idea comes to mind. 

Which, knowing Dream, is dangerous.

The chest closes shut and Dream picks it up again, storing it away. He turns to Punz with a completely different attitude and in a calmer tone, replies, “Fine. If Bad- if _your client_ wants you on his side so badly, he can have you. Good luck, Punz. You may need it.”

Punz keeps his face neutral and he nods back. Dream enderpearls away, gone almost immediately, and only when Punz is certain he’s gone does he call up Bad.

Bad picks up within the first ring. _“Punz?”_

“Dream came by.” Punz tells him, cutting straight to the point. Bad takes a second to reply.

_“And what did he offer you?”_

“Nothing. That’s the problem.” Punz tells him. “If you know Dream as well as I do, you know he hates losing and giving in. If he’s not making me an offer, that means one of two things.”

_“That he’s going to do it himself,”_ Bad says, guessing the first.

“That, or he has a backup. Someone else he can pay to do the job, and as far as I know, there’s only one other mercenary in the SMP.”

_“And… How good is this other mercenary exactly?”_ Bad asks after a beat.

“One of the best I know.” Punz huffs. “I trained him myself.”

—

The chill that comes upon returning to the Overworld after getting used to the Nether is bad enough but it’s _worse_ when you’ve spent nearly an entire day mining away in the heat. Spending 23 hours straight hunting for ancient debris might’ve ended in pleasant success but the strain and instant chill that makes his teeth chatter temporarily makes him regret it.

Purpled pulls up his hood and readjusts the straps on his backpack and makes a beeline for home. Night is falling and while he isn’t afraid of mobs, the cold that comes with the dark is a bigger threat than anything else. The last thing he wants is to get sick because he was in the Nether for too long.

It’s eerily quiet, Purpled realizes, squinting into the darkness. Normally the SMP is always buzzing, even at night as someone is always getting up to _something,_ namely Tommy, but it’s quiet now. The land is still.

He has a feeling but no evidence to back it up yet. He keeps an eye out, just in case, but there’s nothing out there. Nothing that he can see anyways.

Dogchamp greets him happily when he finally arrives home, making soft _‘Boof!’_ -ing noises and Purpled can’t help but bend down and give him a scrub on the head. His dog follows him as he heads for his furnaces and finally places down his bag, letting out a breath at the weight being taken off of his shoulders.

Purpled scans his house, eyes lingering on the corner on the opposite side of the room but when nothing happens, he takes the chance to quickly get a few things done. He dishes out some food for Dogchamp, who while hungry, isn’t starving meaning Ponk stopped by to feed him when he asked, and puts the ancient debris in the furnaces. He continuously checks behind him as he does but once he’s settled again, Purpled whirls around and stares expectantly.

When nothing comes, he squints at the corner again. “Are you going to speak anytime soon or are you just here to spy on me?”

There’s a long pause, a seed of doubt tries to plant itself in his gut but Purpled dismisses it. He trusts his own instincts enough to know he’s right and seconds later, a low and familiar chuckle rings throughout the room. With a flick of his wrist, Dream dispels the invisibility potion and reveals himself, leaning against the wall and watching him carefully.

“So you are as good as they say.” Dream drawls, fingers tapping against his forearm. “Very impressive…”

Purpled scoffs, taking a second to tell Dogchamp that Dream’s presence isn’t an immediate threat before he replies. “You were testing me then? Trying to see if I noticed you broke in?”

“Yes. You’re a mercenary, correct?”

Purpled pauses at that. “Maybe. What’s it to you? I thought Punz was your go-to.”

“He’s not important.” Purpled’s gaze hardens and Dream lifts his hands up in his defense. “He’s fine but- Purpled, I have a hit I need to place on someone and I think you’d be perfect for the job.”

_A hit,_ he hasn’t really had to take on too many of those, most people don’t ask for it. Mostly he’s just done muscle work but Purpled has been trained for nearly everything. It’s nothing he can’t handle. “Alright. What are the details of the job?”

Dream’s head tilts forward. “Do you know Ranboo?”

Purpled stops. There was a list of people he had in his head that Dream might want taken down a notch- Quackity being near the top and George near the bottom for reasons he feels are fairly obvious. There was also a smaller list of people that Purpled _really_ hoped he wouldn’t say, including Punz, Ponk, and Sapnap. The latter was unlikely but even so, Purpled didn’t want to take his chances.

Ranboo was not on either list. He didn’t think Dream paid much attention to him- Purpled certainly didn’t.

“The new guy?” Purpled asks. “Tall, half Enderman, sometimes walks around muttering in Ender? That Ranboo?”

“That’s the one.” Dream confirms. “I need him alive, not dead, and taken to an undisclosed location. I’ll give you the coordinates when you need them, not a second sooner.”

“You want me to kidnap him.” Purpled replies bluntly. Dream doesn’t react so he shrugs it off. “Sure, whatever. It’ll cost you though.”

“Whatever your prices are, I can pay them. I just need it done.”

“By when?”

“No time limit, but the faster you get it done, the more I’ll tip you.” Dream replies. “I don’t care _how_ you get it done. I just need him alive.”

Purpled takes a minute to review the terms before nodding and stepping forward. “Consider it done then. I’ll expect at least a handful of netherite ingots as payment once it’s done.” He offers his hand. “I’ll start scouting tomorrow. Any idea where he’s hiding?”

“Bad and Skeppy’s mansion.” Dream tells him, and Purpled suddenly has a good idea why Dream doesn’t get it done himself. Dream takes his hand to shake it but stops before he does. _“Don’t_ fail me.”

“Never failed before, don’t intend to now.” Purpled scoffs, pulling back. “I’ll get it done, don’t you worry about that.”

“I don’t worry.” Dream insists. “Good luck, Purpled. I look forward to seeing you in action.”

Dream leaves through the front door and Purpled watches him carefully as he goes. A huff escapes him and he rolls his eyes at Dream’s dramatic behavior. Purpled takes a seat, scratching behind Dogchamp’s ears and finally pulls out his communicator to check the time.

His communicator is bombarded with messages. A few are from Ponk, who he expected given he was the last person he talked to, but there’s a dozen calls and messages from Punz. Almost every single message demands to know where he is or to call him back as soon as possible.

_“Jesus Christ…”_ Purpled mumbles, clicking Punz’s contact and hitting ‘Call’. “What the hell?”

It rings exactly once before Punz picks up. Purpled can feel the tension from the second he does. “Hello?”

_“Purp, have you seen Dream today?”_ Punz questions immediately. 

_Straight to business, I see._ “Yeah, I did. He gave me a job, can’t discuss the details, obviously. You know the rules.”

_“You accepted?”_

“The guy’s loaded, why wouldn’t I?” Purpled stifles a chuckle. “If the richest guy on the SMP asks you to stab someone, you don’t turn him down, you ask how many times. Surprised he asked me at all though. I thought you were his favorite?”

_“I got paid off. It doesn’t matter- you need to be careful with him, Purpled.”_

“I’m always careful.”

_“Purp.”_ Punz says again, more urgently than before. Purpled drops the cocky tone, sighing.

“Yeah, fine, I’ll be careful. I can handle Dream, Punz. He’s just another client.”

_“Dream isn’t like any client you’ve ever had before. He’s dangerous.”_

“I mean, duh. Anyone who hires a mercenary to do their dirty work is dangerous.”

_“Dream’s a different kind of dangerous.”_ Punz pauses for a beat. _“Just get the job done as soon as possible and never take another from Dream again.”_

“Fine.” Purpled grits out. Logically, he knows Punz probably isn’t trying to coddle him but he still doesn’t like it. If Punz could handle Dream, why can’t he? “I’ll be extra careful. Happy?”

_“As happy as I can be. Good luck.”_

“Thanks.” Purpled says before hanging up. He replies to Ponk’s texts before finally pocketing his communicator with a huff.

“People are confusing sometimes.” He mumbles to his dog. Dogchamp doesn’t reply verbally, tilting his head and earning another scratch from Purpled. “You would know, you’re always confused, aren’t you, Dogchamp?”

He gets a bark out of that and chuckles. “Good boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Purpled and Punz have finally made their appearance, they both have a fairly important role to play regarding a certain event. Mercenaries are surprisingly fun characters to play around with!
> 
> I forget where but I saw the idea of Punz and Purpled having a brotherly relationship and I made it canon to this fic. I might do a side fic regarding the details but Punz took Purpled in and taught him how to be a mercenary a long time ago and is a big reason why he's on the SMP in the first place.
> 
> Anyways, very excited for next chapter because I literally titled it 'Weekend At Awesamdude's' so you can probably guess why. If y'all liked this chapter, consider leaving a comment! Thank you all for your support on this fic!


	9. Weekend At Awesamdude's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In light of recent events and in need to take a trip to the Nether, Bad and Skeppy send Ranboo to Awesamdude’s base to stay in order to keep him safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a little while because I got hit with Writer's Block for a bit while trying to finish it but I think it came out pretty good overall! Sorry for the wait, enjoy some Awesamdude Content!

Ranboo’s eyes fly open as he’s shaken out of his sleep. He gasps for a breath he already has and while his knees bend, he has just enough sense in him to stop them from giving out.

He blinks, taking in his surroundings and slowly registering that he’s in the middle of the hall, right next to the stairs. Skeppy’s hand is on his shoulder, no longer shaking him and instead locking his eyes with Ranboo’s, eyebrows furrowing in deep thought.

“You back with me?” Skeppy asks in a softer tone than he was expecting. Ranboo swallows a lump in his throat and nods, getting a short but unmistakably relieved breath out of Skeppy. He withdraws his hand, and leans against the railing. His demeanor may be nonchalant but Ranboo has spent enough time with him to know he’s on his toes.

“Was-” Ranboo has to clear his throat when his voice comes out raspy at first. “Was I sleepwalking again?” Skeppy gives a hum of confirmation and Ranboo shrinks slightly. “Sorry about that.”

“You really don’t need to apologize.” Skeppy dismisses him with a wave of his hand. “You can’t control it, it’s not like you’re meaning to do it. It’s just a little sleepwalking anyhow. It’s been pretty harmless.”

Ranboo bites back an argument fully knowing that he’ll lose the battle if he tries. Skeppy raises an eyebrow at him, almost challenging him to try and speak ill of himself but drops it once he realizes Ranboo isn’t going to take him up on it. His smile is triumphant.

Ranboo rubs his eyes, glancing at the darkened sky outside. “What time is it anyways?”

“Uh, almost four I think. You should go back to bed and rest while the sun is still down.”

Ranboo stifles a hollow laugh. “I don’t think I could if I tried. I think I’m up for the day.”

“Mmm.” Skeppy pauses. “Want company then? I’m sure as hell not sleeping now and I’ve been kinda bored pacing the halls alone.”

Ranboo accepts and the pair descend down the stairs. He gives Skeppy a quizzical look once they reach the bottom. “How long have you been up anyways?”

“Since midnight.” Skeppy says as if it’s as mundane as the color of the sky. He waves Ranboo off when his eyes widen. “It’s really not that big of a deal. Couldn’t sleep if I wanted to anyway. Nightmares are shitty.”

His tone is simple and doesn’t hold as much weight as his words do. It’s lighthearted yet completely transparent at the same time, like he’s giving the honest truth while downplaying how severe it might be at the same time. And the more Ranboo thinks about it, the more that somehow describes exactly how Skeppy acts. Perplexing and yet, somehow completely clear at the same time.

Even so, Ranboo shoots Skeppy a concerned look, one that gets waved off. “Seriously, it’s not a big deal. I’m used to them, I know how to handle them.”

That one added sentence raises more questions that Ranboo decides against asking. Skeppy might be protecting him but he doesn’t know if he should press with any questions or if that’s too personal.

Ranboo instead opts for sitting on one end of the couch while Skeppy takes the other as both armchairs have at least one sleeping cat on them. Both settle in and out of the corner of his eye, Ranboo sees Skeppy angle himself towards him and prop his head up with one hand.

“Other than the sleepwalking thing, did you sleep alright?” Skeppy asks. He gets an honest shrug out of Ranboo after a beat.

“As well as I could. Still… Reeling.” Ranboo tells him. He had spent one hour writing everything he could remember in his memory book and firmly updating his friend list, erasing the question marks from Bad and Skeppy’s names, and another lying in bed and staring at the ceiling trying to comprehend what Dream had said and what exactly it _meant._ He implied a lot of things Ranboo really didn’t like. “I- I _really_ didn’t think I’d be getting out of there for a second. Dream kinda backed me into a corner.”

“He does that. Or waits until you’re in the corner and exploits it.” Skeppy made a face. Ranboo suddenly wondered if he was speaking from experience. “I’d love to wipe that stupid grin off of his face but I don’t think I could take him one on one. I’d at least need Bad in Full Demon Mode to pull it off but I could probably at least get a few good hits in on my own.”

“About that,” Ranboo swiveled in his direction, criss crossing his legs, “Can you tell me more about ‘Full Demon Mode’ and what it can do? Like, can he do it at any time?”

Skeppy tapped his fingers on his face, humming as he did. “Technically yeah but uh… You know that thing that people can do where they get really strong when they’re in danger or someone they love is? Like a mother lifting up a car to save her child?”

Ranboo blinked. “Hysterical strength?”

_“That,_ yeah! It’s similar to that.” Skeppy explained carefully. “He gets strong and his body changes- gets really tall, as you probably noticed. Bad has trained enough to do it on command and it can happen on its own if his body feels like he needs it but- it takes a lot out of him. Kinda taxing, especially if he’s in that state for too long.”

Skeppy frowned a bit. “Problem is he has trouble getting out of it, even if he’s physically overexerting himself and needs to be. If he still feels like he’s in danger or if someone he’s protecting is, his body physically won’t turn back. So I learned how to bring him out of it by getting him back into a state where he can turn back.”

Ranboo remembers it well. It was the most open he had seen Skeppy so far, genuine and gentle but still firm in telling Bad that he didn’t need to be scared anymore. If Ranboo had been a little more tuned into what was going on and not coming off of a panic based adrenaline high, he might’ve gawked at the sight. “How did you do that? How- how do you keep your cool like that?”

Skeppy shrugs in response. “Practice mostly. It’s hard when he gets _really_ distressed though- you just gotta keep in mind that it’s important to keep it together or he’s only going to get worse. Mask your worry for a while or your currently 9ft tall demon best friend is gonna have a mental and physical breakdown.”

Ranboo swallows at the thought. “Are you the only one who can bring him out of it or are there others too?”

“Couple others, yeah. I just have the highest success rate out of everyone.” Skeppy says, not quite bragging but there’s some pride in his voice. “Sam and Ant learned when we formed the Badlands just in case of emergencies, Sapnap’s known for longer than I have, George learned at some point, Callahan knows I think, and Dream-... Used to know.” Skeppy paused in thought. “Maybe one or two other people know but those are the ones I can think of. It’s not a _big_ problem but it’s important to know, just in case.”

“...Huh.” Ranboo hesitated. “Is that why neither of you were weirded out by my sleepwalking?”

Skeppy chuckled at that. “Yeah, it’s no weirder than my best friend growing to be nine feet tall when in distress. We all got our quirks, you fit right in. And hey, who knows, maybe one day you’ll learn how to do it too.”

Ranboo couldn’t deny that it was a nice thought to be able to help Bad if he needed it. He could probably learn, it was the least he could do. “Do you think you can explain more on how you go about getting him out of it?”

Skeppy responded eagerly and Ranboo listened to every word as he launched into a rant.

—

The day passed by a little slower once the sun was up but at the very least, Ranboo tried to relax. He deserved to relax after everything he had been through anyways.

Ranboo found himself out on the lawn, which was as far as he could comfortably go while still being within a safe range of those that could protect him if anything went wrong, and sprawled out on the lawn. The sun was out and shining on him, which made him comfortably warm and able to release any tension in his shoulders. Ranboo didn’t want to think about anything else but the wind softly blowing on his skin and the grass beneath him.

“Hey, Ranboo?” He cracked an eye open just in time to see Bad approaching and sitting down next to him. He peered down at him. “Mind if we talk about something real quick?”

Ranboo nodded and sat up, though hesitated when I thought came to mind. Bad seemed to notice his hesitation and corrected his words. “You’re not in trouble, just wanted to ask something!”

Ranboo let out a breath and shot a relieved smile at him. “Yeah, okay, what do you need?”

Bad’s tail flicked. “How would you feel about spending a few days at Sam’s place? Just for the weekend?”

“Sam- Awesamdude?” Bad nodded. Ranboo thought about it but decidedly agreed in the end. Sam _is_ a part of the Badlands after all and he certainly trusted Skeppy and Bad enough. “I… Would be okay with it, yeah. Why?”

“Skeppy and I are planning to spend the weekend in the Nether hunting for ancient debris.” Bad explained, then rubbed the back of his neck self consciously. “Recently I spent a good chunk of our netherite for… An investment and I like to keep extra on hand. For emergencies or anything else that comes up! And I didn’t want to drag you along- plus there was the matter of your cats- so I poked around and Sam offered a place for you to stay!”

Bad gave him a reassuring smile. “It’ll be great! Sam’s base is pretty secure and bigger than the mansion- you’ll be safe there for the weekend. And Sam is a good muffin! I trust him, just as if you need his help and he’ll give it to you, alright?”

“Alright.” Ranboo agreed. “I could probably use getting out of the house anyways.”

“Exactly! It’ll be a good change of pace for you, plus you’ll be back before you know it! It’s just for the weekend.”

Ranboo nods and returns the smile. Bad reaches over and ruffles his hair before he realizes what he’s doing, then stops and quickly takes it back. “Oh, uh, sorry, reflex.”

Ranboo stifles a laugh and shakes his head, reaching up and flattening his hair again as he does. “It’s fine- I don’t mind it.”

“Good.” Bad breathes, looking a little less sheepish from his response. “I can help you get packed up if you want. You’re going to be headed out tomorrow, I’m having Ant escort you there. It’s a bit of a journey but it’ll be worth it. I have no doubt you’ll have fun with Sam!”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

—

Sam’s base was not anything like the mansion.

The mansion was open and filled with simple decorations. The mansion was easy to find and get to. The mansion’s entire second floor had windows on one side instead of the wall.

Sam’s base was in the middle of nowhere, built into a mountain, and required pressing a secret button to get into. Within five minutes of arriving with Antfrost’s guidance, Ranboo’s jaw dropped as he watched the stone wall open up and reveal a large, open base within. Ant snickered at his reaction, tail flicking in amusement.

“He’s good with red stone. Best I know.” Ant told him, then started to herd both Ranboo and his cats inside before setting off the mechanism to shut the door behind them.

The hallways were long and wide, stretching out to a portal at the very end of it. There were several rooms from what he could see and judging from the size of the hallway alone, he had a feeling the rooms were just as big. Sam himself jogged down the hall to greet them, taking off a gas mask and letting it hang around his neck to shoot the pair of them a smile.

“Ant, Ranboo, hey!” He nodded when he caught up to them. It was only then that Ranboo realized that Sam was probably the only person in the SMP who was taller than his usual form. Only by an inch by the looks of it but it still shocked Ranboo that for once, he was staring up at someone. “I don’t think we’ve formally met. I’m Awesamdude, though most call me Sam.”

He held out his hand and Ranboo took it. “I’m Ranboo- but you knew that. I… You got a nice place.” He settled with at last, trying not to flush at his own fumbling.

“Thank you, I made it myself.” Sam replies with an earnest smile. He glances down ever so often at the cats at Ranboo’s heels but otherwise keeps a steady gaze before turning to Ant. “I got him from here if you have places to be?”

“I do, yeah.” Ant nods, giving Ranboo a reassuring smile before turning around. “I’ll be back probably before midnight- I’ll keep you updated, alright?”

Sam nods back and watches him leave. Ranboo speaks up once the mechanical door is finally shut. “Is he going to be staying here too?”

“He already has been. I’ve been keeping an eye on him for awhile.” Sam looks like he’s going to continue but stops himself, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter why. Would you like a tour of the place?”

Ranboo accepts and Sam motions for him to follow. They don’t get very far before Ranboo quietly asks, “Does it have to do with the Egg?”

Sam stops in his tracks, shooting him a surprised look. “...They told you?” Ranboo nods once. Sam lets out a long breath, looking away. “I was hoping we wouldn’t have to get you involved. It shouldn’t be your problem.”

“They don’t want it to be my problem either.” Ranboo quickly clarified. “They just thought that I deserved to know about it, just in case.”

“I… Suppose that’s true.” Sam says after a beat. “You shouldn’t get involved though. You’re allowed to make your own decisions but- trust me on this. Don’t get within a mile radius of the Egg or any of its vines if you can help it.”

“I won’t.” Ranboo answers firmly. He may have only heard about the Egg from second hand accounts but by the sound of it, it’s not something he wants to mess with.

Sam seems satisfied with his answer, letting out another breath. “To answer your question, yeah, Ant’s been staying here every couple of days to ensure the Egg’s influence doesn’t come back and get to him while he’s alone.”

“Oh…” Ranboo wasn’t sure what he expected but it wasn’t that. “It can do that?”

“We don’t know enough about it to say otherwise. But enough about the Egg,” Sam claps his hands together. “Let me give you the tour since you’ll be staying here for the weekend.”

Ranboo nods and Sam starts to point out a few of the rooms he needs to know while glossing over others like his storage rooms. Just as he’s showing Ranboo where he’ll be staying, Enderpearl runs ahead of Ranboo and Sam jumps when she tries to get friendly with him. Ranboo is quick to scoop her up, wincing as he does.

“Sorry, they’re pretty friendly with people.”

Sam shakes his head but has a hand on his heart as he catches his breath. “It’s fine. I’m just not used to cats. They’re cute and all but uh, they’re… _Different.”_

“Because you’re part Creeper?” Ranboo guesses.

“Yeah. They don’t quite scare me off because I’m technically a mutant but the nerves are still there. I can handle it, I just need to get used to them.” Sam straightened himself out but still stepped out of the way when Enderpearl tried again, though lucky for him, she seemed to cut her losses and instead ducked inside of Ranboo’s room. “Anyways, here’s your room. Ant’s is just across the hall and mine is the third door down, but if I’m not there, try my workshop at the end of the hall. Feel free to poke around the base, just call me if you need anything, alright?”

Ranboo nods again. “Perfect, I’ll leave you to get settled then. I’ll probably be making dinner at around seven, until then I need to fix up a few things in my base so again, just holler if you need anything.”

“Got it. Thank you- you’re really generous for letting me stay here.”

Sam blinked at that. “Of course. Bad already told Ant and I that you’re under our protection now and even if you weren’t officially, you’re a kid. You shouldn’t have to worry about your safety or where you’re going to sleep for the night.”

Sam left not too long after that but his words stuck with Ranboo.

—

Ranboo unpacks first before he starts to look around, still gawking at how different it is from what he’s used to. He pokes his head in a few different rooms- finds a farm, enchanting room, and a few different storage rooms.

The first is filled with chests that Ranboo leaves alone but the second isn’t quite the same. It seems to have machines of different sorts but some of them are covered in tarps. Ranboo flicks on the light and glances around, fully intending to move on but one in particular catches his eye. 

It’s tall and shaped oddly. It doesn’t look like a machine at all but rather, somebody sitting on the table and hiding underneath a tarp. That thought alone sends a wave of dread straight to his stomach but Ranboo has to make sure it’s not a danger and manages to get just close enough to reach the tarp and pull down hard.

Ranboo yelps loudly in surprise for a second, thinking that for whatever reason, _Sam_ was under there, but once he gets a good look, he stops. Because while it’s eerily similar to Sam, it’s clearly made of metal.

Ranboo states it down for a second before fast footsteps approach and Ranboo turns to find Sam in the threshold, eyes wide but he lets out a breath once he locks eyes with Ranboo.

“Is something wrong? You scared me for a moment there.” Sam huffs, relieved, but still glances around the room, searching for an unknown danger.

“I thought someone was under the tarp but uh… Why do you have a robotic clone?” Ranboo gestures to what he uncovered. Sam stifles a laugh looking at it, relaxing.

“Oh, it’s something I’m working on. It's a robotic helper with a decent AI. I needed a model so it was easiest just to do myself.” Sam nodded towards the robot. “He actually somewhat works- try saying ‘Hi’ to him directly.”

Ranboo hesitated but turned to the robot. “Uh, hi?”

The lights in its eyes flickered to life and a whirring sound emitted from it. The robot sat up properly, although did so rather slowly, and finally responded. _“Hello, how may I be of service?”_

A long, shaky laugh left Ranboo, forcing him to cover his laugh to muffle it. Sam chuckled as well, waving him off. “You can laugh, it's pretty funny.”

“It’s _voice,”_ Ranboo said between breaths, “Why- why does it sound like _that?”_

“The voice box got damaged. I haven’t taken the time to fix it yet so now instead of my voice, it comes out all squeaky.”

“It sounds,” Ranboo wheezed, “Like an _Animal Crossing character!_ Like- like Tom Nook or something! Oh, that’s incredible.”

Sam perked at his comment, pursuing his lips in thought. “Huh, kinda _does_ sound like an Animal Crossing character… Honestly I might keep that. Might make him feel a little less intimidating. Ant was telling me he was kinda creeping him out in the first prototypes but the voice- that could change things... Thank you, Ranboo.”

“No problem.” Ranboo said, trying to stifle his laughs. “If you really wanted to play into it, you could name him like… Mayor Sam or- or Sam Nook or something.”

“I like Sam Nook.” Sam said, grinning. “I can definitely work with that. Hey, S-4M, how do you feel about changing your name to ‘Sam Nook’?”

_“Sounds good, registering...”_ The robot parroted back. A laugh escaped Sam.

“He’s still got a lot of work ahead of him but I think Sam Nook has a bright future.”

Ranboo nodded in agreement. “What do you need him for anyway?”

“Nothing specific. It just occurred to me that it would be easier to be in two places at once if I had him. Sam Nook, you can power down now.” Sam called out to him and the robot powered down. His gaze didn’t leave his creation for a second, lost in thought. “There was a time where I wished I could’ve done something and with him, maybe it could’ve turned out differently.”

Sam shrugged but something in his eyes told Ranboo that he hadn’t quite let the matter go despite his next words being, “It doesn’t matter anyways.”

—

Dinner wasn’t as awkward as Ranboo was expecting it to be. With him and Sam just meeting each other, he thought it would mostly be awkward small talk and even worse silence but that isn’t quite the case.

The silence is comfortable and Sam’s questions are light and curious. He asks Ranboo about the basics, how he’s settling in so far, how he’s feeling, and if he needs anything. 

“I’m okay I think.” Ranboo answers honestly. “I don’t really know how to feel- everything happened so fast and now I just kinda feel numb. I think I’m just… Waiting for something else to go wrong. It usually does.”

Sam frowns at that. “That doesn’t sound very healthy, Ranboo. I think you might need some better coping mechanisms.”

He laughs but doesn’t quite know why. “Oh believe me, I _know_ that. I just- I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Or- or I don’t remember how to deal with things. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Sam presses his mouth into a thin line. Concern radiates off of him in waves. “Hm. Well, we can work with that. We can start by giving you something to do tomorrow. I’ve been working on a mechanical elevator to the second floor, do you want to help? Might do you some good to have something to work on.”

“That… Sounds nice.” Ranboo admitted. 

“And if you want to talk, I’m a pretty good listener. I can answer any questions you might have as well.” Sam added. “I want to help, Ranboo. Any way I can.”

“Why?” Ranboo blurts out at last. “You’ve all been so kind but- I still don’t know why you’re all going through all this trouble just for someone you’ve all known for, what, two weeks now? And you just _met_ me.”

Sam pauses at that. Not in a way that makes Ranboo think he doesn’t know why but rather, he’s trying to find the words. “Well, for Bad and Skeppy, I think they have a personal connection to your situation. Neither of them had a very easy upbringing and I think they saw you openly struggling with no one to turn to and wanted to give you a stable structure. I don’t know if they realize it or if they’ll ever even admit to it out loud but I think they saw themselves in you. Or maybe, saw each other in you.”

Then, he hesitates. “But for me… I think it might be guilt.”

“Guilt?” Ranboo furrows his brow.

His gaze falls to the table, darkening. “Tommy.” He says at last. “I don’t know the details but something happened to him in exile and I… I did reach out to him and offer him to stay here but I should’ve done more. I was going to do more and then the Egg- Bad, Ant, Skeppy- they all _needed_ me and by the time we finally managed to get it under control, it was too late. I wish I could’ve done something- anything at all really- but it’s past. I extended my offer again but Tommy’s staying in Snowchester with Tubbo now and didn’t seem interested. I can’t exactly make him do anything he doesn’t want after all. That would just make him feel like he doesn’t have a choice and that’s the last thing he needs.”

Sam took a breath and finally met his gaze again. “I can’t help Tommy as much as I would like right now, but I can help you. I’m not going to stand by and let another opportunity to help someone pass- especially when they’re as young as you... Does that make sense?”

“It does, yeah. Thanks. To be honest, that explains a lot.” Ranboo relaxed his shoulders. “I’m lucky to have you all.”

Sam smiled warmly at that. “Glad we can help. You’ll be safe with us.”

He said it with such warmth that Ranboo honestly believed it, even just for the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam Nook Origins for the soul as well as some Awesamdad! Here's Ranboo's first day at Sam's, hopefully it was enjoyable!
> 
> Enjoy some nice, chill fluff after everything I've put y'all through, you guys deserve it. Hopefully the next update won't be quite as long, I'm pretty excited for all that I have in store! Consider dropping a comment if you liked it! Sorry for the wait and thank you for your support!

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic is gonna have some trust building, fluff, and development before I hit you with the plot stuff so enjoy the ride! I'm diverging from canon but I can say that the main plot point from canon that I'm going to eventually use for the later parts in this fic are all relating to the Egg Arc to give you an idea of where this is gonna go.
> 
> Anyways, take 2k words of Bad and Skeppy accidentally adopting Ranboo! Hopefully updates won't take as long because the first bits of this story are lighter but we'll see. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, if you like it so far, consider dropping a comment!


End file.
